Lake of Fire
by JKrlin
Summary: "I have no name; I am but two days old..." Shutting his book, V gave a short, polite smile and raised his head to meet everyone's eyes. "Just kidding. You can call me Taishi."
1. 01: Another Chance

"While thy branches mix with mine, and our roots together join..."

Once reunited with Urizen, V had expected his withering body to be fully reconstituted, his enhanced demonic power to be restored and balanced by his human blood, the fear of his otherwise impending death to finally be alleviated. For what came after, with Vergil restored and imbued with the power he had always sought and the humility he had always needed, he would finally have the opportunity to make amends to his family.

It would likely be a bloody family reunion. Vergil may resort to his old ways. His past obsessions and nightmares may still linger and interfere. Dante's reaction would be predictable enough, as probably would be Vergil's reaction to Dante, but concerning Nero... If V had had more time, if his deterioration hadn't been so dire, if Arkham, Mundus, and the Qliphoth had not... If Vergil had not...

These thoughts, of all the paths and possibilities that could have been, had filled V's mind as he thrust his cane into Urizen. V remembered clearly the demonic power of his fallen counterpart, augmented with the fruit of the Qliphoth, overwhelmingly flow through him.

Then V found himself gone from the shattered reflection of his old childhood home. The surge of energy abruptly disappeared. V was no longer kneeling over the defeated form of his demonic half. Instead, V was lying back on some cold, concrete floor. He instinctively sucked in a breath and began gasping rapidly for more air.

He was reminded of his birth, when Vergil had discarded his unwanted half in feeble human flesh, but this was different. While V still felt intense fear and apprehension, his body now did not feel at all broken or in languish. Weak, yes, and heavily disoriented, but neither was his skin peeling off in flakes nor did he feel that he was at death's door. With each breath he took, with each heartbeat that pounded in his chest and echoed in his ears, V felt distinctively… alive.

Alive, yet...

Eventually, V's breathing relaxed somewhat. He blinked quickly to clear his blurry vision. He was staring up at a starry night sky. With some strain and difficulty, V pulled himself upward so that he was sitting upright as best he could. He was in a narrow side street between wide, tall buildings. Distant streetlamps and nearby overhanging lights illuminated some of V's surroundings. An urban area, but the look of the architecture didn't resemble Redgrave City. This was... Japan? Did the Qliphoth induce an illusion of Japan over them?

V tried raising himself fully to stand, but he immediately lost his balance and fell against a wall. His lower legs shook erratically, unable to support the rest of his body. It wasn't just V's legs that felt decrepit and exhausted, however. His arms were little more than numb cushions buried between himself and the wall. Of the distant sounds of traffic and a speeding train, V could only hear them through one ear. His other ear was filled with an incessant ringing, and if V hadn't made his way to a trash can to lean on and support his weight with, his wobbly knees would have finally given and let V drop and fall flat on his face.

Despite all these pains, V could not help but feel some elation at still being conscious and alive.

Yet V could hardly feel any hint of demonic energy within him.

He could no longer feel any connection to his familiars. He could not call on them or call on his other abilities: the brief bouts of agility, his rudimentary teleportation technique, or his Summoned Swords equivalent. While his body was no longer falling to pieces, V was still in a worryingly vulnerable state.

Dante, Nero, and Urizen were also nowhere to be seen.

V was alone.

Another ringing began to echo in V's other ear. Something was vibrating against him, as well. V looked down. He was wearing a heavy coat and thick pants. Carefully, V reached into a pocket and pulled out a cell phone.

A "Kawasaki Saki" was calling.

The name was unrecognizable to V, but he felt a strange sense of déjà vu when reading it. Something about it was... familiar, even if V couldn't place it.

The cold air began to make V shiver. He sat down and pressed himself into the corner between the wall and the trash can. Flipping the collar of his coat up, V exhaled another breath and answered the phone.

"Taishi," a girl's voice said harshly before V had the chance to make a sound. "Where are you?"

The words, "nee-chan," danced on the tip of V's tongue, but he held back. Why was his first instinctive to refer to a complete stranger as such?

"You know what time it is. What are you doing out so late? Where are you?"

The more the girl spoke, the more V felt odd instincts spring up. Shame. Embarrassment. Defensiveness. A want to make excuses to not disappoint or unnecessarily worry the girl, coupled with the contradictory impulse to make excuses to assert his own independence.

"... had to ask Hikigaya to pick up Kei-chan since I had to stay after classes ended and you wouldn't answer your phone." The girl, who V continued to feel the obligation to refer to as "nee-chan," was still speaking. Her tone clearly indicated that she was not in a good mood. She sighed wearily. "Don't tell me you ran off to the arcade again with your friends. I know you've been nervous about your first day at Soubu, but that's no reason for –"

Wait a moment. Nee-chan. That was supposed to be an affectionate term for... big sister, wasn't it?

V had no sister. And this girl, Kawasaki Saki, had called him "Taishi".

Ignoring the girl's further words, V looked to the wall beside him. There was a window. There was enough light to see the signs and a door from the opposite side of the side street reflected off the glass. Struggling to pull himself upward, V looked at his reflection.

His eyes, his dark hair, his entire facial structure – None of it was the same. What stared back at V was the confused countenance of a teenage boy with turquoise eyes and short grey hair.

"Are you listening to me, Taishi?" the girl suddenly asked sharply, though concern could be heard as she spoke.

V's throat was dry, and it strained to speak, but V did so nonetheless. "He who desires but acts not," V said into the phone, "breeds pestilence." The voice was also clearly not his own.

"... Taishi, tell me where you are. Right now. You sound –"

V discarded the phone, letting it slip away from his fingers. He stood as high as he could and, using the wall as a support, dragged himself down the street.

All these compulsions that rattled in the back of V's mind and through his skin, these inclinations of a Kawasaki Taishi – they reminded V far too much of Vergil's state when he had been Nelo Angelo. The Black Angel followed Mundus' will with only faint traces to his original, true self. This entire scenario V was placed now in may be another of Mundus' vestige machinations, though more seemingly more illusionary than corporal like the lesser Angelos, the lizard-like Blades, or his defunct Dream Runners. Perhaps something that deceived and manipulated one's senses, similar to what the original Nightmare was capable of.

When V had been sent to that separate dimension by Malphas with those devilish mirages, V's body and powers had been notably altered with his mere presence in that world. Perhaps something similar was happening to V now. Possibly a last-ditch effort by Urizen to assert his own power without having to resort to embracing his human half.

V need only locate his familiars. This other dimension may resemble the human world more, and V had taken the form of some Japanese child instead of his own, but with the shadows of Vergil's nightmares by his side, overcoming this new threat will be simple enough.

Though, until then, this weak body was... quite bothersome to... traverse... with...

Stepping out of the side street and onto the sidewalk of a larger street, V's legs finally gave as he slid off the wall. Admittedly, V was acting a little more recklessly than usual. With no supports to latch onto, V raised his arms to keep his face from smacking against the ground.

However, before hitting the floor, V was caught in someone's arms. Still worn and infirm, V did not resist as the stranger helped steady him on his feet.

"The insect?" muttered the stranger, almost too quiet to hear. He sounded vaguely familiar... not to V, but similar to how V was compelled to call Kawasaki Saki "nee-chan", he was equally compelled to call this stranger "onii-san".

When V lifted his head, he saw the face of a young man with narrow, sour-looking eyes and messy hair topped with one long strand hanging out... an ahoge, it was called. The young man looked down at V with a hint of revulsion that swiftly shifted to uncertainty.

"Taishi, what..." the stranger trailed off. So, this newcomer was familiar with V's new body. Onii-san was an affectionate term for "big brother", wasn't it?

Opening his mouth, V croaked out, "Hey, onii-san." He hadn't intended to say that, but his body was moving on its own. He patted the stranger's arm and added, "S-Sorry."

"Sorry about wha–" He cut himself off. V was slipping from the stranger's grip until he tightened his hold. V's eyelids were drooping, but he could see the stranger's widen in shock. The stranger let one arm carry most of V's weight. He raised his other hand. It was stained in red. Blood.

Now that it was brought to his attention, V let his own hand slip to his lower back. He could feel the blood for himself. Realization dawned on V, as did his senses. The cause for his current weakness and pains: a stab wound on his backside just barely missing his spine. How long has V been bleeding without realizing it? When had V – or Taishi, rather – received this injury? Who had inflicted it on him?

Then, darkness enveloped V.

Or, perhaps unconsciousness was the better term to use. One minute, V was doing his best to remain awake and aware in the blistering cold with his broken body. The next, he was lying in a warm bed, a blanket strewn over him with his head buried in a pillow.

Now, V was in a hospital room. He wore a gown appropriate for a patient. An IV was attached to his arm. A breathing mask covered his face. His fatigue persisted, but he was no longer bleeding or so crippled that he could barely move without pain striking with every motion.

Nee-chan was with him. She sat on a chair propped beside V's bed. Nee-chan was asleep, snoring, as alwa–

V shook those thoughts away. They were not his own. They were Kawasaki Taishi's. These echoes, these memories – just how ingrained were they? V had no siblings save for Dante, yet the urge to express affection for a young woman he knew nothing about would not waver. Why was V placed in Kawasaki Taishi's body to begin with?

When V tried moving out of his bed, he must've made enough noise to prompt nee-ch– to prompt Kawasaki's eyes to snap open. "Taishi!" she blurted out, standing up and leaning over V. A wide grin spread across her face. Happy to see her little brother awake, it seemed. She spread her arms as if to hug him but stopped herself as she thought better of it. When V attempted to move again, Kawasaki held up her palms to stop him. "Wait! I'll get the nurse. Just – Just don't strain yourself, Taishi." With that, the girl ran out of the room.

Perhaps V should play along for now. Play out this role of Kawasaki Taishi. He could hardly resist while marred by his injuries and his exhaustion, so V should probably bide his time until he can move freely on his own. Then, he can find answers as to how... how...

The girl returned with a nurse, as she had promised, but they weren't alone. In casual clothes, there was a man, a woman, and three young children right behind them.

The Kawasaki family. Nee-chan. Kaa-san. Tou-san. And the little ones, headed by Kei-chan.

People that would protect and love Kawasaki Taishi, and people that he would do the same in turn for them.

These emotions that rattled V's very soul were not wholly his own, yet they were so... gratifying, fulfilling...

Kei-chan hopped onto the bed and tackled V with a hug. Nee-chan quickly pulled her off. V had the wind briefly knocked out of him, but it was still a kind gesture on Kei-chan's part. The love and care of a younger sibling, even if communicated awkwardly, were still things to be mindful of and to cherish.

V still had many, many questions, but...

Yes, perhaps V should play along for now.


	2. 02: Faded Memories

V spent the next month mostly confined to his bed, slowly healing and regaining his strength. He had little to do while recovering in the hospital. The doctors and nurses provided only polite small talk. When members of the Kawasaki family visited, V let the underlying mannerisms of Kawasaki Taishi take the lead. V refrained from his poetry references and let Taishi's voice do the talking. Looking further into Taishi's various memories and outwardly acting according to them progressively became easier over time. In all honestly, V viewed Taishi to be a somewhat boring and uninteresting child, but the love Taishi felt for his family and the love he received from them were real and true.

The little ones were too young to understand how serious their older brother's condition was, but they still smiled and laughed to cheer him up whenever they were brought along to visit him. Kaa-san expressed her kind sentiments with ruffles of his hair and slipping him some flavorful candies to appease his sweet tooth. Tou-san found it awkward and difficult to convey his fondness for V, but his mere presence spoke plenty considering his busy work schedule. Nee-chan visited V the most often, and her behavior was a mix of all of them, periodically offering small inside jokes with Taishi to lighten the mood yet silent and distant between the shared snickers.

Police officers had also visited V with Taishi's parents in attendance. He had been stabbed in the back by an unidentified assailant, after all. Recalling what Taishi had been doing that night, V had explained to the officers that he had been staying out late in the arcade. By nightfall, he had left to pick up a snack from a convenience store and had been taking a shortcut on his way home when he was attacked. V could recall little of the actual assault, save for the blinding sharp pain that still made him wince at the thought of. It was presumed to be a mugging, since Taishi's wallet was missing, though the mugger must have been in a rush or spooked by something since he had carelessly left behind Taishi's phone.

Needless to stay, Taishi's parents and nee-chan were equally relieved for his survival and unhappy at his reckless actions leading having led to this unfortunate incident. Had Taishi not forgotten or ignored his obligation to pick up Kei-chan from the nursery, this entire hospital stay could have been avoided. Until Taishi was fully recovered, however, the Kawasakis reined in their ire.

Apparently, the onii-san V had stumbled into that night wasn't actually his older brother. Between nee-chan's explanations and Taishi's recollections, V deduced that he was Hikigaya Hachiman, the older brother of one of Taishi's female friends. Taishi seemed to admire Hikigaya and looked up to him, though V couldn't quite recall how Hikigaya viewed their relationship. Other than the fact that Hikigaya had referred to Taishi as the "insect" that night, V couldn't tell much else about him.

One day, V was paid a visit by nee-chan once again, this time accompanied by Hikigaya and the boy's younger sister. Komachi, was it? The sight of two people that Taishi viewed as reliable, intelligent, and kind individuals raised V's spirits somewhat.

"Taishi-kun!" Komachi greeted as she ran into his room. Nee-chan took her usual seat on a nearby chair while Hikigaya stood at the end of V's bed. While nee-chan and Hikigaya looked distinctively uncomfortable, Komachi looked like she couldn't decide whether to grin or to frown at V. "You're okay, right? You aren't paralyzed from the waist down or anything?"

Adopting a slightly flustered expression that Taishi had often donned in his memories, V looked away from Komachi and stretched his lips into his own smile. "Yeah, I'm doing okay. The doctor said I should be able to leave in another couple of weeks."

"Why didn't you tell me anything? I've been calling and texting you for days!" Komachi was disguising her concern with feigned offense, V concluded from her tone.

"Well, I, uh –"

"I told you that he lost his phone," nee-chan cut in. She had a legitimate fluster on her face. "I didn't want to worry you about Taishi's condition until we were sure that he'd be fine."

Komachi took a deep, calming breath and looked apologetically at nee-chan. "I don't blame you for anything, nee-san." Ignoring nee-chan's growing blush, Komachi turned her apologetic look toward V. "I'm happy to know that you'll be recovering soon, Taishi-kun, but it would've been nice to get an update from you sooner, y'know. You could've just asked to use nee-san's phone." Before Taishi could respond, Komachi faced her brother. "You didn't tell me anything either, onii-chan! And you were the one who found him!"

Hikigaya had his back hunched. Bad posture, V privately noted. "I also didn't want to worry you," Hikigaya said. He looked down his nose toward V. "Anyway, you should drop off his stuff so that we can go. Taishi obviously needs his rest, and you still have plenty of homework you need to catch up on." It seemed that Hikigaya didn't particularly want to be here. Was he not very fond of Kawasaki Taishi? Was that why he had called him an insect that night?

"I can do my homework here with Taishi-kun!" Komachi said, digging her hands into the bookbag slung over her shoulder. "We might be in different classes, but I can get him up to speed on some of the new material he'll be doing!"

"No can do," Hikigaya quickly countered, shaking his head. "If you stay, then I'd have to stay to walk you home later, and I can't stay, since there's still another request for the Service Club I have to help out with."

Mischievously, Komachi smirked at her brother. "You mean you have another date with Iroha-senpai."

"If you consider a date as being dragged to fulfill Student Council responsibilities when their lazy, manipulative president won't bother doing the work herself, then you need to reevaluate how you define a date."

Nee-chan sent a glare in Hikigaya's direction. "You better not bail on us. We're still supposed to pick up Keika, too."

Pick up Keika? V tilted his head curiously. Komachi noticed the motion and answered his unspoken question. "Onii-chan, nee-san, and I have been walking home together lately. We pick up Kei-chan, too, whenever your parents can't do it."

"There's been more muggings and robberies lately," nee-chan added. "The police are pretty sure it's the same person who hurt you, Taishi, but no one else has gotten seriously hurt."

"And that's why you can't stay here, Komachi," Hikigaya said, holding his head high. "After we escort the Kawa-something girls home, then I'm making sure you get home safely and promptly. So, give the insect his books, and let's –"

Nee-chan abruptly stood up, her chair's legs rattling against the floor. Her glare returned in full force. "Are you still calling forgetting our names? And what did I tell you about calling Taishi that?!"

Komachi sighed as Hikigaya and nee-chan went back and forth in their little argument. She gave V a sidelong glance coupled with a small grin. "Onii-chan wasn't lying when he said that there's a lot of work I have to catch up on." She pulled something out of her bag, but from where V lay, he couldn't see what it was. "Between that and onii-chan's other Service Club duties, I don't think I'll be able to visit you much after today. Don't worry, though. You still have your sisters to keep you company, and we'll get to catch up more when you're back at school."

V felt his own face grow red and blush at Komachi's words. Why did he suddenly feel so embarrassed?

Ah. V looked deeper into Taishi's memories and found that the boy had an infatuation for the girl. A crush, though Taishi has always suspected that the subject of his affections preferred a close friendship over a binding romance. Despite Taishi's conflicted feelings, he still yearned and enjoyed spending time with the girl.

Vergil had never been one for romance. Romance required a semblance of love to be worthwhile and fulfilling, and love was a human "weakness" that Vergil had stubbornly rejected in his quest to fully embrace his demonic heritage. There were, of course, moments of weakness for Vergil, such as during his time in Fortuna, but for the most part…

V took inhaled and blew out his own calming breath. The love of Taishi's family was something V found acceptable to indulge in, but Taishi's romantic ventures were not. With his calming breath, V suppressed the embarrassed blush of a flattered teenage boy and gave Komachi a confident, reassuring grin. "Thank you for your concern," he said. "I look forward to our reunion once we're both at Soubu."

More of V's voice had overridden Taishi's, but Komachi didn't appear to notice. She nodded and revealed what she had removed from her bag. "I also came today to give you this. Remember that other Service Club request that we were helping onii-chan with? You thought you lost it, but I guess it ended up in my book bag, so here."

V almost couldn't believe his eyes. In Komachi's hands was a familiar brown book, with its gold embroidery and the striking letter on the front cover. V's book had earned some wear and tear during the conflict with Urizen and the Qliphoth, but the volume that Komachi was holding appeared almost as clean and new as when that old man had gifted young Vergil the original.

Wordlessly, V accepted the book and opened it. The pages, the text, the font – they matched V's own copy of the William Blake anthology perfectly.

"Follow now the beetle's hum," V read one line aloud. "Little wanderer, hie thee home."

Chuckling brought V's attention back to Komachi. "Sounds like your English is still pretty good," she said, amused.

"That's what you wanted to give him?" nee-chan spoke up, perplexed. She stared at the book and then at V. "I thought you were giving him... manga or something."

"Oh, I brought that, too!" Komachi pulled out a few more booklets, though V wasn't particularly interested in any of them. Whenever Dante was too complacent to play at being a swordmaster, the likes of manga and comic books were some of his favored pastimes, whereas Vergil typically enjoyed more tranquil and intellectually satisfying hobbies between their rudimentary sparring sessions. "Taishi-kun's been more into things written in English, though."

And why was that? V looked through Taishi's memories again. Yes, after sessions at cram school and chatting with his friends, Taishi had been visiting books stores and libraries in search of books printed in English. He had sought after a few novels before shifting toward poetry. The book appeared to have been a present for him, but…

But V couldn't make out the person who had gifted him the book. In Taishi's memories, there was only a vague silhouette handing him the book and Taishi gratefully thanking that person.

This was an oddity, to say the least.

"I think he got it at the bookstore at the mall," Komachi was saying, putting a halt to V's thoughts and bringing him back to the present. "He said it helped him on the English questions in our entrance exams!"

"Really?" Hikigaya questioned, blatant with the doubt and disbelief in his voice. "How can reading poetry help with English problems in a school test? Poetry is too liberal with grammar and archaic spelling, and –"

"There is a beauty to be appreciated in poetry," V interrupted, looking up from his book. V wore a thin smile. "There is still a structure to how they are written, Hikigaya, and the messages in the words are artfully communicated."

V didn't feel comfortable referring to Hikigaya as an older brother, as "onii-san", but Taishi still thought of him as a brother figure, so V felt old instincts of lecturing an obnoxious Dante slip in.

"But yeah," V added, channeling Taishi's voice, "I wouldn't say the book really prepared me for the English problems. It was just fun reading the poems, to relax a bit before studying for the exam."

Hikigaya opened his mouth to say something, but then he closed it and turned away. Komachi was also staring at V curiously. V might have been a little too out-of-character at that moment. Not calling Hikigaya "onii-san", his tone when briefly explaining his sentiments towards poetry…

The look nee-chan was giving V seemed to be a conflicted one, possibly hurt that she hadn't realized Taishi's affinity for poetry. According Taishi's memories, despite a few recent complications, brother and sister have always been fairly close with one another. Something appeared to change, however… around the same time Taishi had been given the copy of V's book…

"Thank you for bringing this to me," V said to Komachi. "You, Hikigaya, and nee-chan should probably go pick up Kei-chan now. I don't want to keep you guys from your work any longer than you have to."

"Don't make it sound like you're a chore to be around with," Komachi teased, placing the rest of her manga down on V's bedside and patting his shoulder. "Get well soon."

"I'll try."

Nee-chan was hesitant to leave. "If you're sure that you don't want us here –"

"I enjoy the company," V quickly cut her off, "but I have some light reading to catch up on." He held up his book and glanced at another page. "The sun does descend," he read aloud before looking out the window. In another hour or two, the sky would shift from its soft blue to the serene colors of twilight. "And our sports have an end."

Hikigaya looked at V with askance and muttered something under his breath. "Another one," was all V could hear. Perhaps Hikigaya was reminded of... Zaimokuza-san? V vaguely recalled Taishi encountering such a person a few times. Zaimokuza-san was one of Hikigaya's acquaintances, and an... eccentric person.

Nee-chan must have heard Hikigaya's comment in full, because she sent another glare his way. However, before another argument could commence, Komachi leaned over V and embraced him in her arms.

V was startled, to say the least, as were Hikigaya and nee-chan, but V calmed what were likely Taishi's frayed nerves instead of V's own when Komachi whispered into his ear. "We were really worried for you, Taishi-kun," she said. She shed no tears, but she was obviously in the midst of putting an effort in controlling her voice. "Not just your family. Onii-chan was worried, too. And me. But since I have my hands full looking after onii-san, you'll have to lean on your nee-san for a while." Komachi leaned back and offered a wink. "Just don't worry us any more than you already have. You still want to walk through Soubu and join the Service Club like we promised. Right?"

V said nothing as Komachi quickly gathered her things and began to make her way out. She whispered something into nee-chan's ear before marching out of the room. Whatever Komachi said, it prompted nee-chan to swiftly chase after her.

That left V alone with Hikigaya in the room. With his hunched back, Hikigaya approached V, all the while maintaining his distasteful gaze on him.

"... You're not a loner like me or your sister," Hikigaya finally said, "so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting some friends even if you start the school year late." Hikigaya narrowed his eyes. "But don't try depending on Komachi too much, or even your sister. Komachi still needs to study hard to keep up with Soubu's standards of exams, and if your older sister acts like too much of a bro-con around you at school, she'll end up showing off her considerate side, and guys will probably only talk to you in order to get closer to her. And this new 'quirk' of yours, quoting poetry – stop it before it becomes a habit. People will think you have a bad case of chuunibyou. Starting late is bad enough, but alienating yourself like that won't help you any."

What pessimistic counsel. "I didn't know you cared so much, Hikigaya," V found himself saying, giving a crooked smirk. "I'll keep your advice in mind."

"You should." Hikigaya crossed his arms. "What happened to calling me 'onii-san'?"

"If I recall, you disliked me calling you that." V thought quickly on a flattering excuse. "I've given everyone enough trouble for my actions that night. I'm thankful for you helping me, so I wanted to repay the kindness, if even by a little."

Hikigaya's dubious expression did not waver, but he seemed to be appeased somewhat. "Alright. It's not like I'm complaining about it." He turned to leave and follow after the girls.

"The Angel that presided over my birth said," V called out at him, "'Little creature, formed of joy and mirth. Go love without the help of any Thing on Earth.'"

When Hikigaya faced V with suspicion once more, V widened his smile. Continuing to stare, Hikigaya asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"I am merely expressing my appreciation for your advice and your concern for my wellbeing, along with looking after me that night, and continuing to look after my sisters. Thank you, Hikigaya."

"... Wait. Am I supposed to be the 'Angel' in this metaphor?"

V only chuckled in response. He waved his hand at Hikigaya, all but dismissing him. As V returned his gaze to his book, Komachi stepped in to drag her brother out before Hikigaya could ask any follow-up questions.

Once V's hospital stay was over, it appeared that he had school life to look forward to. Being cared for by his older sister. Caring for his younger sister. Joining a club. Studying for exams. Spending time with a childhood friend, and being teased and scrutinized by her protective brother.

An entire life ripe with family and friends lay ahead for V, in the shoes of Kawasaki Taishi.

Though there were still confused, blurry memories of Taishi's that V had to sort through and make sense of. He still had many questions. Whoever had gifted Taishi this book is more than likely to have played a role in placing V's soul in the boy's body. The culprits were also capable of depriving V of his familiars and his demonic abilities.

If they were able to transfer V's soul and memories into another vessel, then perhaps V's powers weren't simply erased from him. They may have been stolen and were being utilized by some power-hungry malcontents, similar to how the Order of the Sword had harnessed the power of the Yamato, the remains of Nelo Angelo's armor, and various Devil Arms for their own purposes.

While isolated in the hospital, from V's conversations with his family and according to Taishi's recollections, magic and demons were nothing more than mythology and fiction in this world. Nothing dramatic as the Qliphoth roots spreading across a populated city or Vergil and Arkham summoning the Temen-ni-gru has been known to have happened, and there has been no public news of any demons resembling V's familiars active in the streets of Chiba. It was likely that V's assailants were still operating from the shadows, possibly through the further string of robberies and muggings.

V was greatly appreciative of this second chance at life, yet he still bore the weight of responsibilities and duties that he could not simply ignore. Despite Sparda's blood no longer flowing through his veins, V still considered himself as an extension of Sparda's will, and V's own spirit and will also still rang true. V's work was not yet done.

For now, however, V was content to return to the comfort of his book.

"One thought, fills immensity," he read to himself, and continued on.


	3. 03: A New Beginning

"Are you sure you're fine walking like that, Taishi?"

"As I said, nee-chan, I am more than comfortable with this."

V stood in front of the gates to Soubu High. He straightened his back and tightened the grip on his cane. It wasn't his original cane, of course. This one lacked the material necessary to channel demonic energy, but it nonetheless served its purpose in supporting V's weight while his body was still too weak to fully hold it. Taishi's body would retain scars and long-lasting effects because of his stab wound, but V appreciated the consistent, constant reminders of his own mortality without the risk of withering into dust.

The Soubu school uniform initially felt stiff and unnatural to V. Vergil had very limited experience with formal education in general, but V adapted. He disregarded wearing a tie and kept his jacket unbuttoned. Honoring the handmade gift crafted by Kei-chan, V also wore a white shark fin-shaped pendant around his neck, vaguely similar to the one V had previously worn. While V was aware that he would have to replace his normal footwear with the shoes assigned by the school, he also wore sandals matching his original pair. V also grew out Taishi's hair to resemble his own preferred style.

Beside V was his dear sister, who was currently eyeing him from head to toe. The fact that V's fashion sense had altered considerably since leaving the hospital did not escape her. Fortunately, the sympathy for his disabled body and for having to attend school late persisted, so V escaped more thorough questioning for V's alterations to Taishi's mannerisms and appearance from nee-chan. For now, at least.

"We should go," V said, stepping forward. "I don't want to be late any longer than I already have been."

The Kawasaki siblings had actually reached Soubu earlier than nee-chan's usual arrival time. Nee-chan was very mindful of getting Taishi to school on time. As a consequence, however, the Hikigayas were not yet at the school. While nee-chan suggested waiting for them by the front entrance, V opted to head inside and familiarize himself with the building.

Just as nee-chan had promised, she allowed V to outfit himself with his school shoes without her help. He could still feel her watching him out of the corner of her eye as she busied herself with her phone. V could hear nearby students gossiping about it. More gossiping chatter could be overheard as V and nee-chan walked through the halls.

Did that loner delinquent senpai have a crush on a first-year? No, not a crush. Was he her brother? Why the cane? Was he in an accident? And his hair makes him look like a wannabe emo.

It may have been V's imagination, but nee-chan appeared capable of emitting an aura composed of raw anger and irritation. This aura was tangible enough to be felt by the various gossipers and clearly frightened them. Nee-chan did like her privacy, so instead of answering any of their questions, she glared and intimidated them to cease their idle commentary.

"No need to be so hostile, nee-chan," V said to her. "It's only reasonable for them to be curious."

"They're idiots for saying such stupid things," she said in return. Lowering her voice, she added, "Are you sure don't want to wait for Komachi? She's friendly with everyone, so people would barely look twice at you like this if you were with her."

So many questions. So much doubt. All for V's welfare. V honestly did cherish the consideration, but there were limits. "No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings," he recited from memory. "You worry too much. It's only harmless if tactless chitchat. Barring any extreme circumstances, I'll get by."

"Maybe you don't worry enough," nee-chan said back, likely ready to enter another lecturing rant about how Taishi should have paid more attention to the time and his surroundings the night he was stabbed. V has heard enough of such talk from kaa-san and tou-san, and has already felt enough guilt and self-pity for his own miseries and mistakes as Vergil. V did not want to wallow in guilt any longer.

"I doubt I'll be inexplicably attacked and robbed while at a school with Soubu's reputation," V said. Smiling in good humor, V went on with, "It's more likely I'll be inexplicably and unintentionally confessed to." V turned his head to see nee-chan's face flush. He smirked at the sight. "What advice would you give should that happen?"

"If it was unintentional, then you shouldn't overthink it like I did." Nee-chan sighed, her blush lowering in intensity. "Really, Taishi, do you call him 'onii-san' because you actually think I like him that way, or do you do it because you still want to date his sister?"

The Taishi that nee-chan once knew would have ceased his teasing and bottled up, overwhelmed with his own embarrassment. V, on the other hand, replied with, "I've already stopped calling Hikigaya that, yet you still blush when Komachi calls you 'nee-san.' Is it not you who still harbors feelings for her bro–"

Nee-chan dug her fist against V's cheek. It wasn't a punch packing any power. It was more an annoyance, churning V's skin and preventing him from speaking clearly. "Like I said," nee-chan said flatly, "don't overthink things."

Dragging the end of his cane across the floor, V twisted his wrist to gently but firmly hit nee-chan's arm, freeing himself and letting him nurture his hurt jaw. "Then you shouldn't overthink things either," he said. "I'm sure I'll survive the school day."

"If you say so," nee-chan said. She slowed her gait, forcing V to do the same. "If you think you'll be fine for the day, then do you think you'll be fine at the Service Club without me?"

V halted entirely, stopping in the middle of the hall. "What?"

"Hikigaya and Komachi can walk you home after club activities. I know kaa-san is going to pick up Kei-chan today, but there's another scholarship that I can work on once classes are over. I'm not in the Service Club anyway. It's not like the people in the Club don't know me or are unfamiliar with you, but it'd make more sense to start your first official day at the club with Komachi than to have me tag along."

Finding his voice, V said. "I don't see why you have to excuse yourself." He began walking again. Nee-chan followed from behind. "Perhaps the Service Club can assist you with your scholarship. I'll begin my membership by bringing in a request."

"My scholarship isn't something you can just barter with to try to get into the club's good graces," nee-chan deadpanned. "Besides, it's an essay. I already know what I need to write about."

"We can workshop your outline, then."

"I'd rather work on it in peace and quiet."

"Where will you work on it? It would be more convenient for you to work in the club room so that we can walk home with the Hikigayas."

"I thought about heading to the library with Ebina..." Nee-chan increased her pace so that she and V strolled side-by-side. "You really want me at the Service Club, don't you? You don't want to be alone."

V held his breath. He wasn't used to being read so easily. He had maintained an air of mystery while working with Dante, Nero, and the rest, but it seemed that Kawasaki Saki was able to see through her little brother well enough, even if he wasn't the same as she once knew him.

"I have a promise to uphold, to be there," V said, thinking of Komachi's parting words during her visit. "I know Komachi and Hikigaya will be there, but…" But nee-chan has been the one caring for V the most ever since he arrived in this world. She can be overprotective at times, but with his familiars gone, her mere presence alone was a reassurance and a source of contentment that V was reluctant to fully part with.

V had long since learned his lesson not to reject or dismiss his humanity so easily, but with it comes the contradiction inherent to humanity. It wasn't solely Taishi's innocent and immature predilections influencing V. It was V's own dual desires to stand on his own and to also have a trusted companion to catch him should he fall.

These feelings were reminiscent of Vergil's occasional impulses to act protective over Dante, as was his right and duty as the elder brother, and of Vergil's jealously towards Dante's closeness with their mother. Vergil had always found ways to make their mother smile, but Dante had always found ways to make her laugh. Vergil's spite only grew over time after their separation and their mother's death.

Why was V even nervous about meeting the rest of the Service Club? Of being alone with them and with Komachi and Hikigaya? Taishi may have been anxious at being in a club filled with beautiful girls and his beloved onii-san, but V never had the pleasure of... of living a normal, human life, with the irrational worries that often plagued a teenage boy...

At this moment, V really did feel like a hypocritical child. He was almost ashamed at himself. He really shouldn't let the fear of the unknown steer him into such unease when he has been through an abundance of life-threatening and blood-pumping experiences already.

A little over a month and a half ago, V was worrying over innocents losing their lives to appease the lust for blood and power by demonic monsters, all the while dealing with his own deteriorating, dying body.

Now, V was getting emotional at the mere prospect of his elder sister not being able to walk him home.

How things have changed in such a short period of time.

"I'll be there. Don't worry," nee-chan said, offering a reassuring grin that honestly did its job in lifting V's spirits. "You can try to act like an adult all you want. You can get Kei-chan to look up to you, but you're still my kid brother, so don't think you can fool me."

V sighed. From his bag, V pulled out his book and flipped it open. "Guess I'll have to become a better liar, then."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

The gossiping around them continued, but it didn't bother nee-chan as much as before. She showed V a few notable places in Soubu – locations for vending machines, the gym, science rooms, home economics, and so on – before arriving at V's homeroom classroom. V's teacher happened to approach at the same time as they did. After brief introductions were had, it became apparent that classes would start soon.

With the both of them more collected and coolheaded than when the day had started, V and nee-chan parted ways. Fortunately for V, while the possibility of nee-chan not accompanying him to the Service Club had caused undue distress, he had already made peace with the fact that he was going to attend his classes without her.

As V's homeroom class assembled in their seats for the first period, the teacher prompted V to introduce himself to them.

"He's been recovering from an accident, but he's finally well enough to attend class," the sensei was explaining before directing everyone's attention to V, who was leaning against the chalkboard while reading his book. "Tell us your name and something interesting about yourself."

Going with a familiar greeting, V said, "I have no name; I am but two days old..." Shutting his book, V gave a short, polite smile and raised his head to meet everyone's eyes. "Just kidding. You can call me Taishi."

The workbooks and other materials Komachi and nee-chan had brought him over the course of his hospital stay were more than adequate to get V acquainted with his class's curriculum. It helped that Taishi was a rather meticulous student according to his memories, so the unfamiliarity of doing math problems and written assignments had been a hurdle quickly overcome. The various topics and concepts the sensei spoke of in class were more than comprehensible to V.

V had not set out to establish an aloof air around him to seriously dissuade others form approaching him, yet it seemed to occur regardless. He was well aware of the passing glances sent his way, but of the whispers that were exchanged, none were traded with him. Once the lunch period began, V was still seen as something to be observed from afar rather than someone to converse with.

It was probably V periodically playing with his cane and his insistence to skim through his book of poetry throughout class that was the cause of it all. His classmates' hesitance and caution at his atypical mannerisms outweighed their curiosity. Whatever the case, V didn't mind. After taking a few extra minutes of the break to reread the last stanza of another poem, V stored his book back into his bag and removed himself from his seat. There hadn't been time or the resources at the Kawasaki house to prepare any bentos, so nee-chan and V were given money to purchase their meals at the school.

On his way out of the room, V heard Taishi's name be called out. He turned his head to see Komachi and nee-chan following after him.

"How's your first day been so far, Taishi-kun?" Komachi cheerily asked.

"Uneventful, I'd say," V said. "Where's Hikigaya?"

"Right in front of you!"

"Ah, I mean your brother. Despite his reclusive self, I thought he'd like to eat lunch with you."

"Nah, onii-chan still prefers to eat alone."

The three of them continued to converse as they arrived at the cafeteria. V let Taishi's voice and personality lead once more. In a human body still recovering from a stab wound and devoid of demonic power, it was sometimes easier to let instinct take over than to consciously assume control. Taishi laughed at jokes and told his own that V would otherwise not find particularly humorous, but it appeased Komachi and nee-chan, assured them that Kawasaki Taishi was still aware and well despite the trauma he's suffered.

Once seated at a table, eating their food and still chatting, V felt contentment warm his heart. It was such a mundane thing, to share a cordial lunch with close companions, but for countless years, neither V nor Vergil ever had the pleasure of such pedestrian ventures.

However, V could not let his contentment bleed into complacency. While enjoying these trivial pursuits, V still had a duty to discover why and how he was gifted this second chance at life.

So, as Taishi listened to Komachi's retelling of a Service Club request to compel two tsunderes to confess to each other, V made sure to observe the other occupants of the cafeteria. Their party of three were spared a few brief glances, but most of their classmates were preoccupied with their own conversations.

Ever since nee-chan and V had begun their trek to school, V had been constantly keeping a close eye on their surroundings. He couldn't naturally detect the presence of nearby demons as before, so he had to rely on his other senses. Perhaps V was being watched by whoever had brought V to this world, or perhaps V would be lucky enough to spot demon activity. Despite many demons' capability to masquerade as humans, V recognized the potential signs: unnatural shadows, sickly trails of smoke, glowing eyes, images carved with blood, and more.

V had spotted nothing of demonic note, nothing out of the ordinary.

Except, as nee-chan blushed yet again when Komachi called her "nee-san", V found himself making direct eye contact with another student.

It was an upperclassman, third-year, same as nee-chan. His look was a rather unassuming one. Brown hair, brown eyes, and shorter than the average height. The boy blended more into the background, especially when the clique of friends sitting with him were being rather boisterous with their chatting. V wouldn't have looked twice if not for the fact that the boy wouldn't break off the mutual stare they were sharing.

On the boy's face was an expression of realization. By staring at V, he must have experienced some epiphany or a burst of cognizance.

Gripping the handle of his cane, V stood up. "Excuse me," he said. He patted his stomach. "Duty calls."

"You remember where the closest restrooms are?" nee-chan asked. V hummed an affirmative. He could feel her eyes and Komachi's stare at his back as he sauntered away, but more importantly, the boy who had caught his attention was doing the same. As V exited the cafeteria, he could see the boy leaving his clique and following after V.

V passed the restrooms entirely and sought a more secluded location, away from any more prying eyes. V didn't want to potentially endanger or attract the attention of innocent passerby, especially nee-chan and Komachi. The rooftop may work. With the condition V's boy was in, however, V didn't want to risk getting thrown off the roof edge and into his impending death.

Thinking on it, V decided on one spot sequestered between the main school building and the special building where most of the clubs were usually situated in. There was a little corner outside, a narrow spot hidden from view from most wandering eyes but not so out of the way that one could rapidly back out of the corner and call out for assistance. He had seen it in passing during nee-chan's tour of the school, and it would suit V's purposes perfectly.

After grabbing a quick, rejuvenating drink from a vending machine, V made his way to his destination.

As V stepped outside, raising his arm to block the sunlight suddenly blinding his vision, he overheard his stalker exchange words with another student.

"Hey, Ooka, are you gonna be free for baseball practice this week? Or are you gonna bail on us again? What are you even –"

"Can't talk. Gotta go. Probably won't be there. See ya."

"Hey, hold on, Ooka! Just wait a – Ah, forget it."

V took another sip from his drink. It was a tad too sweet for his tastes, but the caffeine alone would stimulate himself well enough.

With the sun on his back, V turned the corner into his chosen hideaway. The extraneous sounds of marching footsteps and discussion from surrounding classmates became faint echoes. Aside from V's own breathing, his own footsteps, and the clapping sound his cane made with each step forward, he could also hear his stalker break into a run.

"Coming at ya, baby!"

Accompanying the battle cry were the crackling reverberations of lightning. V sidestepped, barely avoiding the bolt of lightning that whizzed pass his head. Letting adrenaline, the desire to overwhelm the paralyzing effects of trepidation and panic rattling V's shoulders, power his movements, V threw his canned drink at this Ooka person.

Ooka wasn't expecting for his face to be splattered with the dark drink, along with getting his forehead getting smacked by the can. Temporarily rendered sightless, V ignored the strain in his back and dashed toward him. With his cane in hand, V swept Ooka off his legs. V intended to follow-up with a downward stab with the end of his cane, but Ooka performed a somersault in mid-air and released a shockwave of electricity that pushed V back against a wall.

This hidden corner of the school was small, nearly claustrophobic, so once Ooka landed on his feet, he immediately tackled into V's gut before he had the chance to dodge. V cringed at the sudden charge, the sudden influx of pain in his abomen, but he powered on and closed his fists together, slamming them and the handle of his cane down on Ooka's head.

The boy lost his hold on V, allowing V to thrust his knee across Ooka's chin. V also kicked him so that Ooka was forced backward and now was lying against the opposite wall. However, as Ooka hit the wall, he spread his arms out wide. Snapping his fingers, more lightning danced around his hands. Then he formed two finger guns, pointing them at V.

In the same breath, taking advantage of the length of his cane, V jammed its bottom against Ooka's throat. It wasn't as sharp or deadly as V's original weapon, but by placing one foot on the wall behind him, V was confident he could propel himself with enough force to pierce his Ooka's Adam's apple.

V doubted that he'd be pushed to such measures, however. The color of the lightning, the energy they gave off, and the look in V's opponent's eyes told him much.

"Had to be sure," the demonic entity inhabiting Ooka's human form said. "I saw you this morning, saw the cane. Then I saw the book, but I couldn't tell if it was really you. There's no contract connecting us anymore, but I wasn't sure if this was another case of Malphas' tricky gimmicks or not."

"I am unsure of the circumstances for how we've arrived in this world as we are," V said, removing his cane. As V relaxed his body, his former opponent also lowered his arms, letting the lightning dissipate. "But I am sure that together, we can find our answers."

Tentative, absently wiping away the stains on his face and his shirt, the voice of Ooka asked, "Is that really you, V?"

"It is I," V confirmed, "as I hope it is you, Griffon."

"It's me, but I need you to prove that it really is you."

V sighed wearily. "If the fool would persist in his folly," he recited, "he would become wise."

"Yep." Griffon chuckled to himself. His back slid against the wall as he fell into a sitting position. His chortles and snorts reached near hysterical levels. "Yep, yep. Yeah, that's just gotta be you V. Gotta say, for someone who was melting and chipping away into little bit-sized pieces the last time we were together, you're looking pretty good."

"Likewise," V said dryly.

Giving his own sigh, Griffon ceased his laughter and rested his head against the wall. He smiled up at his former master. "V, just what the hell kind of mess did we fall into this time?"


	4. 04: The Blood Link

"The last thing I remember before awakening in this new world," V said as he dropped down to sit against the wall and beside Griffon, "was confronting Urizen after Dante had defeated him moments prior."

"Really?" Griffon frowned. V gandered at it. No longer limited by the form of a bird, Griffon was now capable of conveying much more expression than simply through his words. "I remember you and Urizen fusing back together. You didn't need us – me, Shadow, Nightmare – anymore, so we forced Dante to kill us."

"I was successful?" V asked in surprise. If that was true, then V should have been reconstituted as Vergil instead of appearing elsewhere. "Wait. From your perspective, Vergil returned, then, but you somehow outlived me? As you were bound to myself, I had been sure that you would also have returned to Vergil."

Griffon formed a melancholy smile. "Why would Vergil need us? Remember, we were born from his nightmares."

V honestly thought Vergil would have done V's familiars more justice than to let them be slaughtered by Dante. Born from nightmares and wrought with pain, yes, but they had served V well during the terror raged by the Qliphoth.

"But hey," Griffon went on, getting more upbeat, "look at us now! We're both alive! I mean, I didn't expect for us to become teenagers living Japan, but that's better than not existing at all!"

"True enough." V did appreciate maintaining his self-awareness and his continued existence, but at what cost? "Do you have any idea how we've become so fortunate? A devil's hand may be at work. This supposed blessing may in fact be a damnation in disguise."

"I've got nada for ideas on why we ended up like this," Griffon said. He stared at his hands. Lightning flashed between his fingertips. "It feels weird, though. I don't just mean being in a human body, with a bunch of memories and flashbacks ingrained my head because... well, because it isn't my head. It's also my powers. I can't fly for shit – trust me, I've tried – but my powers are feeling pretty wonky."

"How so?"

"Well, you remember how Vergil doing all his fancy trick shots with his Summoned Swords could sometimes drain his demon battery? Enough to the point where he couldn't pop his Devil Trigger?"

V did remember. In his quest to claim more power through his demonic heritage, Vergil had also studied methods to assume his Devil Trigger form indefinitely. His encounter with Arkham and the events that followed had prevented Vergil from researching further on the matter.

"Using my powers feels kinda like that," Griffon went on. "I can shock people and stuff, yeah, but if I fry out too much in one sitting, the tank's gonna run empty. Then I gotta wait a while till it refuels and recharges. Feels like it's on some random timer to build back enough demon power, or depends on how tired or energized my human body is. Haven't completely tested out the kinks yet."

Interesting. "So while you retain a portion of your demonic powers, they've been notably diminished in strength and longevity, yet not completely erased or useless. That's more than I can say for myself. As far as I can tell, I am unable to call upon any remnant of my demonic abilities, aside from some entrenched reflexes."

"What? But you just almost kicked my ass right now!"

V smirked. "Don't underestimate the tenacity of the human spirit. I may have been the one on the ground looking up to you during our first encounter, but there was good reason for why I was the master in our contract." Despite V's playful taunt, he discreetly slid a hand against his lower torso, still feeling the sting of Griffon's tackle moments earlier.

Griffon was pouting now; an adorable expression, V had to admit. "Yeah, yeah," Griffon said, "laugh it up. Remember that our contract's null and void at this point, what with me in a human body now. You're lucky I'm not the type to hold a grudge."

"How fortunate," V said, with only a hint of sarcasm. "After your apparent death, how exactly did you rouse yourself in your new body? This body had received a fatal stabbing in the back, seemingly by a random mugger. I spent the next few weeks in a hospital, recovering."

"Got stabbed in the back, too," Griffon said, "about a month ago. Guy even stole my wallet. Healed pretty quick, though, probably cause I've still got demon power. It was a trip getting used to having toes and apposable thumbs, let me tell you."

"Do you have any other recollection of your attacker?"

"Not really. I pieced together a few things from Ooka's memories, though." Griffon's eyes were drawn to V's bag slung over his shoulder. "How exactly did you get your book back? Did it spawn with you when you woke up? Or did someone give it to you?"

"A friend returned it to me, but the one who first gifted it to –"

V cut himself off. When Griffon opened his mouth to question V's abrupt pause, V struck Griffon's face with his cane. Griffon instinctively bit onto the cane, effectively silenced. Predictably, Griffon was startled and flailed his arms in an attempt to free himself, but before he could make too much of a noisy scene, V motioned for him to be still.

Someone was approaching. V could hear their footsteps, and he did not want to risk them overhearing anything that would cause V and Griffon undue trouble.

Around the corner arrived Hikigaya Hachiman. He kneeled to pick up the drink can V had used as an improvised weapon. As V removed his cane from Griffon's person, Hikigaya turned his head to see the two sitting in the shade. Bemusement was clearly apparent on his face.

"Something you need, Hikitani?" Griffon asked aloud. So Griffon was acquainted with Hikigaya, and referred to him with a nickname?

Hikigaya gestured with the drink can. "This is a shameful waste of MAX Coffee," he said in a harsh, almost offended tone. He squinted his eyes at Griffon. "Did you spill some on yourself?"

"He did," V said. Griffon made some undignified, insulted squawk that V paid no heed to. "He was drinking that when he tripped and fell. Do you have any napkins or a handkerchief you can lend him? Walking around school drenched like that is a bit too embarrassing for him."

"Embarrassing?" Griffon questioned quietly, confused. He looked down at himself and saw that the wet stains in his jacket and shirt seemed to have seeped down to his pants. Suddenly self-conscious, Griffon turned his back to V and Hikigaya. "Freakin' A," Griffon muttered. "Looks like I pissed myself."

Hikigaya stared on at them. V suspected that he was debating whether or not to continue the conversation. "If you don't have anything," V said, rising to his feet with the support of his cane, "I suppose I'll go fetch him something."

When V was about to pass by HIkigaya, V stopped when Hikigaya lowered his voice and asked, "Why are you out here instead of the cafeteria?" Hikigaya held his phone in his other hand. "Komachi and your sister have been spamming me messages about you taking too long in the restroom."

V was surprised. "You were concerned for my well-being enough to come look for me?"

"No. Don't misunderstand. I told them to just wait for you or to ask someone else to check on you, but I can't see a discarded can of MAX Coffee on the floor and just ignore it." Hikigaya glanced at Griffon. "You shouldn't associate yourself with a wasteful guy like that."

Griffon snorted. "Yui mentioned you like that stuff a bunch, but it sounds like you're into this MAX Coffee crap way too much, Hikitani."

"Crap?!" Angered, Hikigaya took a step toward Griffon. V felt the compulsion to stop Hikigaya from getting into an unnecessary confrontation – another instinctive reaction on Kawasaki Taishi's part – but V was confident that Hikigaya wouldn't actually try to hurt Griffon, or even be successful at it.

In response to Hikigaya's advance, Griffon swiftly stood up and spun around, shoving HIkigaya a few tumbling steps further into the gap between the school buildings. Without missing a beat, Griffon joined V and elbowed his side. "Hikitani's a weirdo," Griffon said. "Don't wanna be hanging out with him around."

Ooka must have a different opinion regarding Hikigaya than Taishi. "That would be difficult for me," V said, "considering that I'm to join the Service Club with him."

Griffon was obviously shocked, from the way he halted and darted his eyes between V and Hikigaya whilst Hikigaya was regaining his balance. Griffon recovered quickly, however, and said to V, "Who cares? I skip baseball club all the time. Besides, we've got more important things to worry about."

While V agreed that discovering the answers regarding their arrival in this world was important, there were still considerations to be had, namely toward V's prior promises to nee-chan and Komachi. "Come to the Service Club after school," V said.

"For what?" Hikigaya called out, walking toward V and Griffon. "Unless he has a request, there's no reason for him to show up. If you want to hang out with your new friends, do it somewhere else."

Griffon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Mister Loner doesn't want any other boys getting in the way of his little after-school harem." Now Hikigaya was very visibly offended and displeased, even straightening his hunched back and clenching his fists. "You do you, man. Let's get out of here, V."

"V?" Hikigaya repeated, raising an eyebrow. Likely reminded of Komachi's parting gift during the hospital visit, Hikigaya turned to V.

"Oh, right," Griffon said. "What's the name you're going by these days, V?"

"Kawasaki Taishi," V said. "You can call me Taishi." Better not let Hikigaya get any more suspicious or curious than he already may be. V turned his back to everyone and began walking away. "The lunch break is nearly over. We should return to our classes, or we'll be late."

"Who gives a crap about classes?" Griffon barked. Ooka must not have close friendships or family members to bear in mind as Taishi did. What would nee-chan say if her little brother skipped classes on his first day?

Pulling out his book, V read, "In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." V glanced behind him. "Message nee-chan that I'll be returning shortly." V regarded Griffon. "If you have the time, Ooka, do stop by the Service Club. We can discuss your request in full detail then."

"Hey, you technically aren't a member of the Club yet..." Hikigaya's words faded as V hurried away. In the corner of his eye, V could see Griffon shrug and also leave. He went at a brisk pace, likely intending to clean up his stained clothes. Hikigaya also went on his own separate path, probably not in the mood to deal with V or Griffon any longer. He also held out his phone, presumably messaging nee-chan and Komachi.

It was honestly a comfort to V, to know that he was not alone in his plight. Griffon was a good ally to have, especially considering that he can still summon lightning. Just as he proved useful to V ever since their separation from Vergil, V expected Griffon to continue to be of service. Simply having a familiar face with a familiar voice around was also a plus to appreciate.

When V returned to the cafeteria, nee-chan and Komachi were standing near a vending machine. As V approached them, nee-chan gave him a particularly unhappy look. Hopefully, she wouldn't catch on to the faintly sluggish movements V had due to his struggle with Griffon earlier.

"Where did you go?" nee-chan asked flatly.

"A small detour," V answered without straying from his book. "I did make a stop at the restroom," V added a little white lie to appease her. "I just wanted to stretch my limbs for a –" V cut himself off when his book was suddenly stolen from his hand. His fingers grasped at the air before V looked up to meet nee-chan's narrowed eyes.

"At least tell me if you're going to run off on your own," nee-chan said sternly. "Our parents won't be able to afford getting you another phone for a few weeks still, so we had to get Hikigaya to check on you. I'm not trying to be overbearing, but don't make it a habit to leave without telling me anything." Nee-chan offered the book back. V accepted it.

"Duly noted," he said.

"I think it's good of you to be making new friends," Komachi cheerily chimed in, before turning away and muttering, "already doing better than onii-chan when he started out."

V wasn't making new friends so much as he was reuniting with an old one, but he didn't bother correcting Komachi. "The sun descending in the west," V quoted, "the evening star does shine." V folded his book away. "The birds are silent in their nest, and I must seek for mine." Tapping his cane on the floor, he nodded toward the end of the hall. "Shall we go?"

X

Once classes were over, V and nee-chan soon found themselves in front of the room to the Service Club. The faint sounds of conversation could be heard through the door.

"Nervous?" nee-chan asked, equal parts teasing and legitimately concerned.

"Not at all," V said with the self-assurance to back it. With nee-chan looking over his shoulder, V firmly rapped his knuckles against the door. When a voice on the other side gave permission, V slid the door open.

In the center of the room, Hikigaya sat at one end of a narrow table. On the other end sat two girls that Taishi's mind identified as Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui. Komachi was situated between her brother and the older girls. Two free seats were placed across from Komachi. While Hikigaya was preoccupied with a light novel, the rest of the Service Club offered V and nee-chan polite smiles.

"Yahallo, Saki-chan! Taishi-kun!" exuberantly hailed Yuigahama and Komachi.

"Good afternoon," respectfully hailed Yukinoshita. "I trust your recovery went well, Taishi-kun?"

Taishi was vaguely familiar with the older girls. After the Service Club had helped him with his initial request regarding nee-chan, Taishi had on occasion joined Komachi to assist the Club further in other requests. Taishi had enjoyed accompanying and working with the two beautiful senpai, but V shut those feelings away to cordially return the smiles.

"More or less," V said as he and nee-chan took their seats.

"You better make sure you don't let Hikigaya make Taishi do any heavy lifting or unnecessary work," nee-chan said to Yukinoshita.

"But of course. For all that Hikilazy-kun has spouted about his unrealistic aspirations of becoming a house husband, he has proven to be apt at unskilled labor. Should Taishi-kun be unfit, Hikigaya-kun can pick up the slack."

"Oi," Hikigaya said aloud. "I know Taishi is walking with a cane, but he should still pull his own weight if he's going to be participating in this club."

"Hey, don't be so cold to our new member, Hikki!" Yuigahama berated. "Since it's his first day, we should be making a good first impression!" She offered V a countenance glowing with radiance and optimism. "We haven't gotten very many requests since the school year started, but you should expect more in the future."

V nodded his head at her. "I will." He let a hand clutch his trusted book and hold it close to his chest. "To see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower; hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour."

Yuigahama's face scrunched up in confusion. "Ah, is that supposed to be a line from your poetry? Komachi-chan told us about it, but sorry, my English isn't that good."

"Then maybe Taishi-kun can help you," Komachi said, holding up a workbook. "We might be in different years, but Taishi got a perfect score in English on the entrance exam. I was thinking that we could just have study sessions in the club whenever we don't have requests."

"Eh, but it'd be weird to be tutored by a kohai." Yuigahama paused before quickly making placating gestures with her hands at V. "Not that I'm trying to insult you or anything. I'd just find it weird. That's it."

"Whatever the case," Yukinoshita spoke up, meeting V's eyes, "while I understand that you are still somewhat disabled, I still expect you to work to the best of your ability when the club fulfills requests. It would be a shameful display for any member to give a half-hearted effort." She glanced at V's book. "We were also warned of your chuunibyou symptoms. Though you may have not requested it, as our new club mate, we would be happy to attempt to cure you of them."

V could feel nee-chan emit a lesser version of her killing intent around herself. "What do you mean by 'cure'?" she asked tensely.

Komachi snickered, albeit in a forced manner. "I tried to explain it that Taishi-kun just really likes poetry, but onii-chan exaggerated to make it sound like Taishi-kun's more like chuuni-chan."

Chuuni-chan? Komachi must mean Zaimokuza-san.

"Who? Do you mean... that guy with the silver hair and fingerless gloves?" nee-chan said, the disgust and revulsion obvious on her face.

"I'm sure that Taishi-kun isn't as gross or weird like chuuni-chan!" Yuigahama said quickly. "Remember when Taishi-kun and Komachi-chan helped us on that request during the break? He seemed normal then."

"My brother isn't sick," nee-chan flatly declared. She glared at Hikigaya. "What have you been saying about him?"

Looking away from his novel, Hikigaya with his foul eyes said, "Hey, I've been going out of my way trying to warn him about keeping his new eccentricities in check. Quoting poetry isn't as bad as the things Zaimokuza does, but it can only snowball from there."

"Taishi-kun likes poems. So what?"

"The quoting is only going to confuse people, like it did with Yuigahama. People can also mistake Taishi's quirk as arrogantly flaunting his literary knowledge. They'll think he's some haughty know-it-all or a chuunibyou still developing his identity. Self-assigned nicknames also don't help. Either way, it won't him win any friends."

Komachi sighed. "You're still exaggerating, onii-chan."

Seeing nee-chan about to speak further in V's offense, V spoke first. "I'm flattered by everyone's consideration for me," he said, "but I think I'll carry myself how I prefer for now. Besides, I have a couple of lines from one poem that I believe the Service Club can appreciate."

Opening his book to the correct page, V read, "Now like a mighty wind they raise to heaven the voice of song, or like harmonious thunderings the seats of heaven among. Beneath them sit the aged men, wise guardians of the poor. Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door." He shut his book and smiled wryly to Yukinoshita. "What do you say?"

Yukinoshita adopted a contemplative posture, resting one leg over the other and folding her arms.

Hikigaya stared in puzzlement at V. "Is this supposed to be your idea of flirting?" Komachi snorted at that comment and stifled some snickering. Nee-chan was giving V a vacant stare that he couldn't quite read.

"Nonsense, Hikipervert-kun," Yukinoshita said. She set an icy but not unwelcoming gaze on V. "The 'wise guardians' represent the Service Club, I presume. Then the poor who 'raise to heaven the voice of song' would be our clients who come to us for requests."

"That's one way to look at it," V said.

"Yes, the Club does indeed 'cherish pity', in that we welcome those who are troubled and find themselves in need of our aid. Ideally, our clients become self-sufficient and capable of handling future problems through their own merit and skill after we have rendered our services, but referring to our clients as 'angels' is a bit overdramatic."

"Call them angels or clients," V said. "Either way, the message should be clear."

"I suppose so," Yukinoshita agreed. She had a satisfied look on her face. It vaguely reminded V of Dante's and Vergil's looks of satisfaction whenever they had successfully solved some riddle or puzzle their parents had challenged them to solve. "While I don't have a very strong interest in poetry, I can appreciate the sentiment."

"See, onii-chan," Komachi said smugly. "Not everyone thinks it's weird."

"And you have a fair understanding of why the Service Club exists," Yukinoshita added, "and what it seeks to accomplish. I see that, regardless of any idiosyncrasies you may possess, you intend to be a devoted member of this Club." Yukinoshita glanced at Hikigaya. "I suppose I should have put more faith in Komachi-chan's testimony than yours, Hikigaya-kun. My apologies, Komachi-chan, and to you, Taishi-kun and Kawasaki-san, for being presumptuous."

"No apologies needed," V said, before Hikigaya could say something his defense for Yukinoshita's slight jab against him. "I look forward to participating in further Service Club requests in an official capacity."

Hikigaya sent another look at V. He was an observant boy, likely fully aware of V's intentions in speaking before he could. Hikigaya made some indiscernible murmur and returned to his own book. V ventured that he'll have to be more wary around him, to ensure he wouldn't catch any inklings of V's true nature.

"That reminds me," Yukinoshita said to V, "to make your membership official, we still require your application letter." She held out her hand expectedly, but V had nothing offer it.

"What application letter?" nee-chan asked. V consulted Taishi's memories. He had never joined any clubs in junior high, similar to nee-chan, so Taishi had assumed joining the Service Club would have been as easy as simply strolling into the club room.

Yukinoshita turned to Komachi. "Did you not tell Taishi-kun to prepare one?"

Komachi wore a ditzy, bashful expression, winking and sticking her tongue out. "Guess I forgot to tell him. Sorry!"

Sighing, Yukinoshita rubbed her forehead. "Komachi-chan, really. You take after your brother a little too much sometimes."

"Ah, don't worry, Taishi-kun," Yuigahama said with sympathy. "I forgot about the application letter when joining the club, too."

"Then I'll visit the staffroom and see Hiratsuka-sensei about that application," V said. He lifted himself from his chair and made his way to the door.

He expected nee-chan or perhaps Komachi to insist on accompanying him. Instead, V heard Komachi say, "Go help him, onii-chan. Make up for spreading misinformation about him."

"No need," V called out over his shoulder. "I'd rather go alone."

"You sure?" nee-chan asked. "You remember where the staffroom is?" There was mild confusion in her voice. V had insisted on her coming with him to the Service Club to begin with, but V had other concerns to keep Taishi's teenage insecurities at bay, so he wasn't as worried as before.

"I'll be fine," V gave his farewell as he left the room. "I won't be long."

It shouldn't have taken Griffon long at all to go to the Service Club after classes ended. The staffroom wasn't far from Soubu High's baseball field, so after visiting Hiratsuka-sensei, V planned on searching for Griffon.

V walked down a short hall to the entrance to the staffroom. Near the door was a familiar student sitting on an open window sill. He had a textbook planted on his thigh and was writing on a sheet of paper on top of it.

He was writing with a quill pen, the long feather adorned in bluish-black streaks.

"Where did you get that?" V asked Griffon as he slowly approached. Griffon didn't react, unsurprised by V's arrival.

"Ooka got it as a one-month anniversary present from his girlfriend," Griffon said. "Don't remember her name or her face. Because of that, I'm betting that she's got something to do with us being here."

A girlfriend? "Kawasaki Taishi was also gifted my book, but he also has no memory of the benefactor. This girlfriend may indeed be connected. If you have no memory of her, then I assume you haven't made contact with her since your stabbing."

"Yup."

Griffon said nothing more, engrossed in his writing. V saw that it was an application letter for the Service Club. "I thought Ooka was in the baseball club?" V said.

"Got into a stupid argument with my clubmates and the advisor," Griffon explained with an uncaring shrug. "Told them that I was leaving and joining up with the Service Club, just to get them out of my hair and to try to get to you." He handed V a blank application letter from underneath his own. "Ya need one? Hiratsuka stepped out for a bit, but she'll be back soon."

"Thank you," V said, taking the paper. He pulled out a pen from his book bag and leaned against the wall, using his arm as a foundation to write on. "You should know that I have an elder sister in this world. Kawasaki Saki, in the same year as yourself. She's a protective sort, so to not sow distrust with her, you'd best watch your behavior during our interactions together. When we're alone, call me V. Otherwise, call me Taishi."

"Al–right."

"What do you know of Hikigaya? I am acquainted with him and his younger sister, so –"

Suddenly, Griffon hopped off the window sill, tossing his application and a few other papers folded inside his textbook into the air. Though V was startled, he didn't let it show. "What the hell are we doing, V?" Griffon cried out, pulling at his hair. He began pacing along the corridor. "We're freaking filling out club applications like it's nothing when we still don't know why the hell we're even here in the first place! We should be out there, looking for answers!"

Along with a human body came a tense frown and drops of sweat on Griffon's human face. V was used to Griffon's periodic shrieks of panic and shock, but seeing those feelings of V's trusted companion conveyed through a facial expression mildly disturbed him. Being in Taishi's body was making V softer than he should let it. "We will," V said in what he hoped was a calming voice, "but as students of Soubu High, we have responsibilities and commitments to satisfy."

"Why should we care about Soubu?" Griffon halted his pacing and stared intently into V's eyes. "You were already human. Maybe it's not so hard for you to get into the swing of things around here, but it's not the same for me. I wasn't even a real demon before. I was a memory of one." He let lightning bolts flash with a couple of finger snaps. "Using my powers helps remind me who I am, but sometimes it was easier to just let Ooka take over. Say what he'd say. Be with his friends. Go home to his house and listen to his parents bitch and moan about his life."

"You should continue to do that," V said, "to not draw suspicion to yourself."

"Why bother? Seeing you again, V, with your book and a cane in hand – It's just like old times! Well, those times were more or less a month ago, but with you here, now I'm more than motivated to solve this mystery!"

Griffon was zealous. Understandable, but he had to control his passions. "We are minors in this world," V pointed out, "without the exact same abilities as we had before. Cutting ourselves off from our families, friends, and school life would only lead the authorities to be called and to investigate our truancy, and to keep us from finding our answers. While conducting our investigations, we must take care not to cause undue stress and worry to our families and peers."

"… They aren't actually our families and friends, V," Griffon said after a short silence. "You can call it semantics, but don't try to hide it."

V ignored his application letter and put all of his attention on Griffon. "What are you talking about?"

"Like I said, maybe it's not so hard for you to get used to things around here. You're still human, and maybe that part of you is putting more stock in living a normal human life with that sister and the Service Club instead of focusing on what's important."

Affronted, V stabbed his can against the floor with a resounding echo and straightened his back. Griffon was taller, but V held his head high. "I won't pretend that it's gratifying to experience the love of a family after everything I've suffered," V said coolly, "but make no mistake. Finding our answers is of upmost importance. Because of its importance, we must appease the obligations of our new identities, lest they interfere with our activities."

Scoffing, Griffon went to the window and opened it fully. He climbed atop the sill and crouched, as if to jump off. V raised an eyebrow at the motion. V speculated that Griffon did such acts often, to remind himself of his bird form.

"No one knows how to handle demons like us," Griffon said. "Sticking around with Taishi's family, or Ooka's friends, or the Service Club might be putting them at risk. Demons, or whoever did this to us, come after us, and then they go after them to get to us."

"Then we protect them," V said sternly, "with all of our might."

"Not sure how much might we've got going for us," Griffon said. "Here's my counter-offer, Shakespeare: skip classes and clubs entirely. Forget about Soubu. Focus on actually getting shit done, like the old V I knew."

The old V... V may have remnants of Kawasaki Taishi affecting his thoughts and judgement, but better a human soul influencing him than the original Vergil's twisted demonic half.

"A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees," V recited. "I..."

V could hear someone ambling toward them. He turned to face the newcomer, only to see a vague blur zoom pass him and wrap a pair of arms around Griffon's torso. The newcomer pulled him back inside the building, Griffon yelping in response.

If V recalled correctly, this maneuver was a called a suplex, except Griffon spread his hands and caught himself before his head hit the floor. Griffon hopped to his feet and away from his attacker. He was about to snap his fingers but stopped when the newcomer turned to face him. V recognized her.

"Ooka," Hiratsuka-sensei said in a grumbling voice and with a cold smile that conveyed no sliver of kindness, "did you forget what we talked about this morning?"

"For the last time, I'm not suicidal!" Griffon screeched, forming fists with his hands, presumably to keep himself from summoning any lightning. "Jeez, can't a guy take in a cool breeze without getting grappled for one second? For Christ's sake, I'm not Hikitani!"

"It's still dangerous to crouch on the window like that. And what's this talk about skipping school? After asking me for an application letter..." Hiratsuka-sensei glanced at V. "And trying to turn one of your own kohai into a delinquent, too. I thought you were more sensible than that."

So she overheard some of V's and Griffon's conversation. Only the very tail end of it, fortunately, or V would have noticed her approach sooner.

As Griffon and Hiratsuka-sensei continued to bicker, V returned to his application and set out to complete it.


	5. 05: The Uninvited One

V knocked on the clubroom door and, after Yukinoshita called out to him, slid it open.

Yukinoshita was pouring tea into a few cups. Komachi and Yuigahama were chatting. Like the loners that they were, Hikigaya was reading his book while nee-chan was playing with her phone. Nee-chan raised her head to meet V's eyes. V felt as if his character was being scrutinized, nee-chan trying to judge if he made any unnecessary detours like had earlier today. V only lightly smiled at the look.

"So you've settled the application stuff?" nee-chan asked. "You're in the club now?"

"I am," V confirmed. "It seems that I'm not alone in that regard." Walking into the clubroom, V stepped to the side to allow his companions to enter.

Hiratsuka-sensei strolled in, all the while dragging Griffon by the ear. Griffon had his arms folded and held close to his chest, clamping his mouth and his eyelids shut in defiance. V guessed that Griffon was also holding himself back from accidentally shocking sensei or from trying to more seriously resist her hold.

"Afternoon, everyone," Hiratsuka-sensei greeted, still maintaining a smiling façade with her anger simmering underneath it.

"Ooka?" Yuigahama yelped in surprise. "What are you doing here? Don't you have baseball practice?"

"He's your new clubmate!" Hiratsuka-sensei announced. V pulled an extra chair from the corner of the room and brought it to the table. Ooka was unceremoniously dropped on the seat.

"Eh?" Yuigahama said in a questioning tone. "You wanted to join the Service Club, too, Ooka?"

"Yeah, I'm here to join," Ooka said as he nurtured his reddened ear, "and you know what, sensei? I could've gone without the manhandling. Maybe Hikitani's into that kind of stuff. Me, not so much."

Hikigaya glared at Griffon. Hiratsuka-sensei also sent an intimidating look at Griffon and held up her fist threateningly. Griffon stared back at her with contempt, though V recognized the signs that Griffon readied himself to swerve out of the way of any oncoming punches. As V made himself comfortable on his own chair, Hiratsuka-sensei went to the windows and ensured that they were securely latched tightly and locked.

"That's unnecessary, Hiratsuka-sensei," V said to her. "Ooka promised that he would behave in exchange for membership in the Service Club."

"Yeah, listen to Taishi," Griffon added. "No more window perching for me. And no more practicing your wannabe wrestling moves on me, either. Doesn't that work for you, sensei?"

Hiratsuka-sensei cracked her knuckles. Griffon flinched and looked away from her. V had to admit that it was amusing to see Griffon subdued and flustered by a common high school teacher. Griffon must have been troubling her ever since his arrival in this world.

"Don't you got a hot date or something to get to?" Griffon muttered under his breath. As those words left Griffon's mouth, Hikigaya began choking on his MAX Coffee that he was in the process of drinking.

"As a matter of fact, I do." Hiratsuka-sensei said with a legitimate smile full of self-satisfaction on her face. As she walked near the table, Griffon moved to stand behind V, though Griffon also armed himself with his chair and held it up to deter her approach. However, she stopped at V and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Taishi, I know this is your first day and we just met, but you and Ooka seem to get along well. Do me a favor. Stop his descent into delinquency before it's too late. If you need to, get the rest of your clubmates to help you. They've already done wonders for Hikigaya."

"I wouldn't say I was ever really a delinquent..." Hikigaya said meekly, coughing, with Komachi patting his back. Did the news of Hiratsuka-sensei's date disturb him?

"No offense to Taishi," Griffon said, "but I don't need a babysitter."

"You need somebody to watch out for you, to make sure your eavesdropping and reckless behavior don't become permanent bad habits." Hiratsuka-sensei faced the rest of the Club. "Remember to be good role models for your underclassmen, and your irresponsible classmates."

"Irrespon– Hey, if it weren't for..." Griffon ceased his ranting when V gave him a warning glance. Taishi and Ooka may appear to have struck a rapport to those around them, but they shouldn't allude to too much on their true past experiences together. Griffon set down his chair and took his seat. "Never mind."

"And don't forget to go home in groups," Hiratsuka-sensei said before marching out. "Stay safe. Have fun."

A silence in the club room followed Hiratsuka-sensei's departure. Everyone was staring at Griffon and V, all with intrigue.

"... Ooka, why did you want to join the Service Club?" Yuigahama asked. "I remember Tobe mentioned that you were going for a baseball scholarship."

"Eh, I lost my passion for baseball," Griffon dismissed, resting his hands on the back of his head. "Started skipping practice. Kept getting into arguments with my parents. My girlfriend left me."

"Wha? You had a girlfriend?!"

"Things have been going downhill for me, basically. I realized that I needed a change in my life. The Service Club is all about change, right? I mean, you fulfill requests, and you change people for the better, right?"

Yukinoshita politely poured Griffon his own cup of tea. "Ideally, yes, but typically, the client would be the one to change, not the Service Club member. Ooka-san, why not submit a request instead of leaving the baseball club to join us?"

"Like I said, the passion's gone," Griffon sipped at his tea. Not so subtlety, he lightly choked on what he drank. Clearly, not endeared by the taste. He set down his cup and slid it over into V's hand. V drank the rest of Griffon's tea without complaint. "Community service has gotta be more interesting than throwing balls and tossing sticks all day."

A decent cover story, filled with some truth while omitting the more fantastical parts. V and Griffon had lost the opportunity to jointly discuss and develop a thorough backstory thanks to Hiratsuka-sensei's interference, but they've been together long enough that they should be able to improvise well enough, as V had discreetly whispered to Griffon before he was dragged along by sensei.

"The Service Club does not exist merely to entertain you," Yukinoshita said strictly as she set down her teapot and returned to her seat. She had an elegance to her movements that V found himself admiring at. There was something to appreciate when one exuded pride and self-respect with the graceful mannerisms to match it. "We expect you to –"

"He will serve dutifully and faithfully," V spoke in Griffon's stead. "His attitude and language can be overly expressive and blunt, but that won't diminish his dedication to the cause."

V could feel nee-chan's eyes curiously boring into him. "How would you know that?" she asked slowly. "How do you know him?"

Griffon looked expectantly at V for his answer, as did most of the rest of the room; with the exception of Hikigaya, since he returned to his novel.

Thinking on it, V decided to put on a little performance. For dramatic effect, V leaned back, letting his hair shroud his face. "Love seeketh not itself to please, nor for itself hath any care." Using his cane for traction, V slid himself off his chair and away from the table. "But for another gives its ease, and build a Heaven in Hell's despair."

Rising to his feet, V continued to keep his face hidden and strolled toward the windows. "So sung a little Clod of Clay, trodden with the cattle's feet; But a Pebble of the brook, warbled out these metres meet."

V undid the lock on one window and opened it, letting the soft breeze brush away his hair and revealing his bittersweet smile. "Love seeketh only self to please, to bind another to its delight, joys in another's loss of ease," V turned to his nee-chan and clubmates, "and builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."

Satisfied with his show, V sat on the window sill and rested one leg over the other. It would likely take a moment for his audience to gather their thoughts and decide upon an appropriate reaction.

"Is this kind of stuff going to be a regular thing with you?" Hikigaya asked without averting his eyes from his reading. He was forced to, however, when Griffon kicked his chair and Hikigaya had to catch himself from slipping out of his seat.

"You can bet your ass and your trashy book it will," Griffon said, smiling with nostalgia. He started clapping. Komachi joined in the applause. Yuigahama hesitantly slapped her palms together as well, if only succumbing to peer pressure.

Nee-chan suddenly scrambled out of her chair. "Taishi, what are you doing? You can fall off sitting like that!"

Not unlike Vergil spinning the Yamato to deflect gunfire, V rotated his cane in a similar fashion to keep nee-chan from grabbing him. "Remember our discussion this morning, nee-chan? We spoke of confessions... and I, in fact, was a party to a confession some time ago."

Another lie, but it seemed convincing enough, if the frozen expression on nee-chan's face was any indication.

"You what?" Komachi flatly said, giving V a flat look that was pointedly demanding answers. Her inner gossiper was showing. "Were you the confessor or were you the one confessed to?"

"It matters not," V said, feigning an embarrassed blush. "I thought I was in love with her, and she with me. Unfortunately, they were all falsehoods, as Ooka can elaborate on."

"I can?" Griffon's role in this little narrative soon dawned on him. "Oh, yeah. My girlfriend was totally seeing someone else while we were dating. Any guesses on who?"

Komachi gasped. "You were two-timed, Taishi-kun?"

"I was." Continuing the act, V avoided eye contact with everyone. "The reason I was out late the night of my... assault, was because the object of my affections had just ended our relationship. Emotional and irrational as I was, I hadn't wanted to face anyone else so soon after such harsh rejection." Before an uncomfortable silence could envelop the air, V said, "I don't blame this girl or anyone else for the injuries I've suffered. In fact, since recovering from my injuries, I've taken some comfort in confiding with a fellow scorned lover."

"That's right!" Griffon said, joining V's side and trapping him in a one-armed hug. V didn't have to hide how startled he felt at the sudden embrace. "Taishi here seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders. For a kohai, anyway. He knows what it feels like to get your heart torn out, too." Griffon pointed a finger at Hikigaya. "And from what I hear, Hikitani knows a little of what our pain feels like, too. Get over here! Let's all be miserable together!"

"I'm not touching you," Hikigaya said in a tone that would take no objection or argument.

"Wait a second!" Yuigaham blurted out. "You were dating this girl and got rejected, too, Hikki?"

"Of course not. I have no idea who they're talking about."

"Are you sure about that, Hikigaya-kun?" Yukinoshita prompted. "I wouldn't be surprised if a lonely individual like yourself succumbed to the charms of a deceptive harlot and was soon considered too gross to maintain the charade with."

"Please, I'm smart enough to figure out if I've been cheated on."

"That's assuming you ever reach a stage where you can be cheated on in the first place. How unrealistically hopeful of you."

"Better to be smart and perceptive than heartbroken, even if it costs me a girlfriend. It at least means I wouldn't be cheated or deceived in the first please."

"Oh, come on, Hikitani," Griffon said in a whiny voice. "According to the grapevine, you got rejected by a girl back in middle school. Misery loves company, right? Let's stand in solidarity!"

"With someone who's insulted the name of MAX Coffee? As if."

"Well, if that's how you feel about it. Hey, speaking of confessions – Yui! Have you popped the question to a certain somebody yet?"

Yuigahama became a panicky, mumbling mess at Griffon's inquiry. "What? What are you talking about, Ooka? There are no questions I need to ask to anyone. Stupid Ooka! Don't be as gross or creepy as Hikki or Tobecchi!"

They were all straying off-topic from what V originally wanted to lead into. "In any case," he said loudly, "when I encountered Ooka today and we told one another of our pains, we realized that we may not be the only discarded beloveds of this girl. There are others whose hearts she still plays with."

"What does that matter?" nee-chan said, finally breaking out of her frozen spell. She spoke in a low tone, her voice carefully controlled, though not perfectly. As her little brother, Taishi could still identify the emotions she was trying to keep in check. "If this girl rejected you and cheated on you, then you should move on and forget about her."

Nee-chan's thoughtfulness was welcome, but her advice was not. "She stole from myself and Ooka," V said. He held up his book. "Though she had provided gifts during her ruse, it was not an equivalent exchange." Presumably, she had stolen V's and Griffon's original bodies and the full extent of their demonic powers. "She had stolen from us..."

"... some mementos," Griffon finished. He gave V a glance, gauging whether or not if he should continue. V nodded at him. "Some personal stuff that means a lot to us."

Yukinoshita cleared her throat. "And what might those mementos be, exactly?"

V had no idea what tangible objects Griffon could be referring to, so Griffon said, "Just a few things with a lot of sentimental value. Not quite sure what Taishi lost, but I know what I did, and I'd really like it back."

"What did she take from you, Taishi?" nee-chan intently asked.

"I'll show you," V promised. Hopefully, she wouldn't sense the insincerity in his words. These lost mementos were only vague, unseen tokens in this tale. "Once we retrieve them. We are newly admitted members, but this is our request to the Service Club: track down the girl who had played with our hearts, and compel her to return our property."

Gently, V removed himself from Griffon's hold. Ooka was a stranger to nee-chan, and he didn't want to risk her overprotective nature to take a stronger hold on her after this talk of young Taishi suffering heartbreak.

"Who is this girl?" Komachi asked.

While he and Griffon had no memory of her, V said to his companion, "I'm sure you have some photos or have exchanged messages with her on your phone, Ooka."

Realization dawned on Griffon. He, and perhaps Ooka, may not have used his personal phone often. Griffon pulled it out and began swiping at the screen.

"You took pictures with her?" Yuigahama voiced aloud. "I mean, it makes sense, but you're usually so camera shy around the rest of us."

"Love changes a person," Griffon said offhandedly, more focused on his phone. "Looks like I deleted all of the pics I had on here."

"Then what's her name?"

"..." Griffon nudged V and drew his gaze to the phone screen. Among a series of messages exchanging dates, times, and locations, the recipient had the name "Lightning Witch."

As nee-chan snatched the phone to take a look for herself, V's mind pondered on the name. Could this witch be alluding to Trish? Was she also sent to this world? Or was this witch another one of Mundus' machinations, another pale mirror of Eva? It may very well be some other lightning-based entity entirely, assuming the alias had any bearing on its owner's abilities.

"... What kind of name is Lightning Witch?" nee-chan asked with more than a little confusion. "Is this real or a joke?"

"No joke," Griffon said. "Very real."

"Then what's her actual name?"

"Even before that," Yukinoshita chimed in, "assuming the Service Club accepts your request, what exactly are your intentions with this girl. You seek stolen property, but is there anything else to it? If it's anything perverted, or otherwise unlawful or immoral, you can merely ask Hikigaya-kun for assistance, and we can promptly contact the authorities to settle the matter."

"Hey!" nee-chan exclaimed fiercely as she glared at Yukinoshita. "My brother would never do anything like that!"

"And onii-chan has more self-control and morals than you think, Yukino-senpai!" Komachi added. "Oh, that must be worth a good amount of Komachi points!"

"Yukinoshita-senpai," V spoke up, not wanting to stray further away from his point, "Ooka and I carry grudges, but we don't wish to do any harm or enact any ill will to the girl. We only desire our precious possessions that were pilfered from us. I promise you this."

"Yeah, ditto," Griffon agreed.

Now it was Yukinoshita who narrowed her eyes at V and Griffon with scrutiny. While V was aware of Griffon sweating a tad in response to the probing once-over, V was unperturbed.

"Very well," she finally said. "The Service Club accepts your request."

"But who is this ex-girlfriend?" nee-chan asked the question again. "What's her name? How did you meet her? Does she go to Soubu? What does she look like?"

All questions that neither V nor Griffon knew the true answers to. However, from V's brief glance at Griffon's phone, he had spotted a potential lead to follow up on.

X

V ran his hand up and back through his hair. He let the melody resounding from the arcade machine echo through his ears. He honestly couldn't recall the last time Vergil had ever dabbled in such a frivolous endeavor. Yet, whether through Taishi's own skills or V's own innate aptitude with combat and adaptability, or a combination of both, V had been enjoying a winning streak at this fighting game ever since their arrival at the arcade.

Komachi groaned, hitting her forehead against the control panel. She looked up only to glower at V with vague contempt. "When did you get so good at this game?"

"You challenged me," V reminded her, admittedly with some smugness. "Reap what you sow."

Perhaps he was getting too excited than he should be, overexerting himself in enjoying this outing. Still, there was no harm in a little indulgence. After all, V was a multitasker. If he can partake in a few theatrics while slaying horrific demons without them landing any damaging blow, then he can continue to monitor his surroundings while playing this cartoonish game.

There was also Griffon nearby to inform V of anything noteworthy they may escape his notice. Leaning against another arcade machine behind them, Griffon snickered. "Man, oh man!" he said between his chuckles. "Gotta be honest with ya, Komachi. When you're up against Taishi, you even make Yui look like a pro."

Yuigahama was beside Griffon and childishly pouted at him. "I'm not that bad," she said, sulking as she sipped on her drink.

"Could'a fooled me. Kakeru sucks at this game, and Miura barely even cares about fighting games, but they can still knock you on your ass without even trying."

"Eh, when did you get so mean, Ooka? Have you been hanging out with Hikki, too, or something?"

"You would know better than me who's been hanging with Hikitani, seeing how you're the one who wants to get into his –"

"Ooka-senpai!" Komachi interrupted. She lifted her head up to give Griffon a stern look. "You shouldn't tease Yui-chan so much."

"Hey, you're the kohai here, even younger than Taishi, too. You're not in a spot to lecture any of us." Both Komachi and Yuigahama were giving Griffon unpleasant looks now. "Alright, alright. I'll lay off..."

Griffon placed a hand on Yuigahama's back and pushed her forward. Catching on to Griffon's intentions, V sidestepped so that Yuigahama stumbled against his side of the arcade machine.

"... after we see you give the game a spin, Yui," Griffon said. He draped an arm around V. Another one-armed embrace. V supposed this must be Griffon's replacement for periodically resting on V's forearm when he was still in his avian form. "Bet you half the cash I've got on me that you can't beat Komachi even once. She might not be able to beat V, but I'm thinking she's got a shot against you."

Once Yuigahama was steady on her feet again, she frowned at Griffon and said, "I told you I'm not that bad! If I try, I can totally – Wait a second! We're supposed to be helping with your request, not seriously playing arcade games. You say that you're still looking around for her, but we could better help find your ex-girlfriend if you just tell us who she is."

Komachi let out a sigh. "Let's just play another round, Yui-senpai," she said, smiling at her. "One more match won't hurt. Besides, this is the first time Taishi or me have been in the arcade since forever. We might as well enjoy it as much as we can." Komachi's appeal seemed to work, as Yuigahama's face softened slightly.

"I'm gonna trust Komachi on verifying whether you score a win or not," Griffon added. He turned to leave, dragging V with him. "Taishi and I are gonna get us all some snacks."

"Wait," Yuigahama said. "Yukinon, Hikki, and Saki-chan are supposed to be back with our drinks soon."

"They didn't say anything about snacks, though." Griffon quickly ushered himself and V away. "A skinny kid like Taishi needs more calories in his diet!"

"But –"

Komachi said something to Yuigahama that V couldn't catch. Whatever was said, it was enough to keep her from objecting further.

Out of sight and out of earshot from their companions, V and Griffon freely wandered through the arcade. Other children and adolescents roamed the venue, but not so many that it was a crowded mob to sift through. Still, there were enough arcade machines to make visibility difficult.

According to the messages traded between Ooka and this "Lightning Witch", they had often made their rendezvous at one of the local arcades. It most likely wasn't happenstance that it was the same arcade at the mall Taishi had left prior to his assault. Finding an excuse to investigate the location with Griffon, or to leave Soubu and the Kawasaki house in general to investigate anything around Chiba, would have proved difficult without inciting suspicion. Fortunately, the Service Club provided the perfect cover.

While it was difficult to find excuses not to describe the Lightning Witch in greater detail to their clubmates, V had successfully convinced them to participate in an impromptu outing at the arcade. V felt some guilt in taking advantage of nee-chan's and the other club members' compassion to accommodate him. The sympathy for his apparent physical and emotional injuries was a useful tool, but Taishi's good-natured mentality didn't find it very honest or appealing. Regardless, V was committed to do what he must to accomplish his goals.

"Yui's into Hikitani," Griffon said quietly as they continued to stroll on. "Romantically, I mean. Hikitani, from what Ooka's friends seem to say, is a pretty observant guy. Earlier today, I was thinking that if we have to be in the Service Club, then we get them distracted with their own drama. Keeps their eyes off us, and lets us do what we gotta do."

"A fine strategy," V said. "Direct manipulation such as that while require more precise maneuvering compared to sending Dante and Nero to confront Urizen, but I believe we can accomplish it. We'll need to discuss this further later."

"You said you lost your phone, right? We can meet up during lunch at Soubu to talk shop, figure things out, trade notes. Speaking of which, any sign of our Witch?"

"I've seen nothing pertaining to true demonic or bewitching nature," V said in slight disappointment. "And you? Can you still sense others' demonic power?"

"I don't know. You're the first guy that has anything to do with demons and devils that I've met since waking up here. Hell, if this Witch has anything to do with our situation, what are the chances that she'll even show up? There must be a reason she hasn't talked to us in the past month since we've gotten here."

"Yes, that is a curiosity," V agreed. "In any case, this is our only lead. In the absence of any other clues, we have no other choice but to stalk this arcade."

"If we do find her, what then?" Griffon asked. "Good cop, bad cop style?"

The two of them passed by one game with toy guns. A pair of young boys were firing at a colorful screen ripe. V found himself struck by a sudden wave of nostalgia. He looked away and shook his head, banishing those thoughts from his mind. Now was not the time to get lost in reminiscence. He had to maintain his concentration, whether it's to search and confront the Lightning Witch, conjure more convincing lies to the Club and nee-chan, or otherwise.

"Uh, hello? V? You hearing me?"

Someone grabbed V's arm. Since Griffon was walking briskly, he and V nearly lost their balance as V was pulled away from Griffon's grasp. V caught himself with his cane while Griffon hit his face against a wall. Ignoring whatever pain that Griffon felt with the abrupt smack to his nose, he swiftly turned around and planted his feet.

A foreboding feeling chilled V's – no, Taishi's nerves. He looked up to see nee-chan scowling at the both of them. "Where are you going?" nee-chan asked sharply, her grip on V's arm tightening.

"Going to get some food," Griffon snapped back. "You guys were taking forever."

Nee-chan continued to glare at Griffon as she asked, "Is that true, Taishi?"

"It is," V said with a straight face, not wanting to reveal any breaks in his composure, even as nee-chan set her gaze on him.

"Get some food on your own," nee-chan said to Griffon. She started dragging V toward the arcade's exit. "I need to talk with my brother. Alone."

Griffon obviously had something to say about that, but V discreetly waved him off. Nee-chan was already suspicious and obviously distrustful of Griffon. Better not risk sullying the waters further with him around, and while V was occupied with nee-chan, Griffon should still be on the lookout for signs of the Lightning Witch.

Hopefully, Griffon correctly guessed V's train of thought. He didn't stop V and nee-chan leaving the arcade. The mall was slightly more crowded than the arcade, but nee-chan quickly found an empty bench for them to sit on.

V assumed a relaxing posture, leaning back and crossing his legs. Nee-chan was more tense, though the hostility she had shown Griffon was replaced by uneasiness.

"... What did you want to talk about, nee-chan?" V prompted.

"Since when did you and Ooka get so friendly?" she asked.

"We struck a rapport today."

"You just met him today. You know, you shouldn't be so comfortable around him, letting him call you by your first name and stuff, until you get to know him better."

V already knew Griffon quite well. "Come now, nee-chan. I know you can be cynical, but –"

"'Come now, nee-chan'," nee-chan repeated. "Was Hikigaya really exaggerating? Or are you really trying to put up some silly front with me? You've been acting really differently lately, talking like that and getting weirdly into your poetry book. Komachi's noticed it, too."

"Is that so wrong?" V saw an opportunity to be openly honest with her, appeasing Taishi's state of mind. "My behavior may be, as you said, different, but it has all come naturally to me. It's nothing you should be alarmed by."

"It does, though. You're hiding things, Taishi."

She wasn't wrong on that. "You do have experience in that type of conduct."

"And after the Service Club got involved, we promised to be more honest with each other."

Taishi felt guilt. V suppressed it. He realized that Griffon wasn't overstating how easy it could be to succumb to their new human body's original habits and foibles. "I'm not being dishonest with you," V lied.

"You don't want to listen to my advice and you're avoiding my questions," nee-chan said harshly. "You just met Ooka today? Let's say I believe that. How long have you known this girlfriend? Who is she?"

"All your questions will be –"

"If this girlfriend is fake," nee-chan interrupted him again, "then it was a stupid excuse to use just to go to the arcade. If she is real, then I want to know more about your relationship."

"She is real," V reiterated.

"Then tell me about her," nee-chan said, gritting her teeth. "You've always liked Komachi. What did this – what was that stupid name? Lightning Witch? How did she convince you to become her boyfriend? What did she do to you?"

V could only speculate how the Witch could have seduced Taishi. "Nothing inappropriate occurred between us," he said. "I'm confident Ooka has no inappropriate intentions either, if you're also thinking about him in the same manner. I hope for Ooka to be my friend, and the Witch is nothing more but a former associate whom, after we've completed our business with her, I have no desire to see again."

"Taishi, you're still avoiding saying anything specific about her. You can't just expect me to trust your judgement after your..." Nee-chan momentarily averted her eyes from V but quickly narrowed them at him. "After your assault. You kept this girlfriend a secret, so we had no idea where you were that night. Her rejection made you depressed enough to ignore all of our calls and messages. It made you carelessly stay out late, and some scumbag almost killed you because of that."

Nee-chan wasn't backing down. It was a mistake to go off alone with her. V should have tried harder to avoid having this conversation.

V opted for the petulant silent treatment. He ducked his head and looked away from nee-chan. He could feel nee-chan's eyes boring into him. The vague sounds of ruffling clothes likely meant she was also crossing her arms, pointedly waiting for a response.

He was wasting time here. No offense to nee-chan, but he couldn't give her any of the answers she wanted to hear. He needed to find Griffon and...

V spotted Hikigaya and Yukinoshita in the distance, near the entrance to the arcade. They carried cans and bottles for their group's drinks, but what really caught V's eyes was the pair of slightly older girls speaking with them. Those girls carried bright auras around them, contrasting with the almost annoyed, disinterested atmosphere V's senpais were exuding.

One of the girls had a passing resemblance to Yukinoshita.

The other girl had her hair braided and adorned with hairclips. She also wore a black, purple scarf around her neck that V found very familiar.

When Vergil had followed after Dante and Arkham into the Underworld, he had encountered lost souls and echoes of the various demons serving as the Temen-ni-gru's gatekeepers. One of them had been a flirtatious seductress whose combat abilities revolved around shadows and lightning.

That demon's dress molded from shadows bore a strong resemblance to the girl's scarf.

"Hey!" V heard nee-chan speak out. "I'm not done talking with Taishi."

Griffon's arm wrapped around V once more. He was standing behind the bench and leaned in to whisper in V's ear, "I can sense it. You see her, too? My own lightning's got a different feel, but she's definitely a demon. Pretty sure she was a redhead back in our world, though."

"The scarf is telling enough," V whispered back, "of her identity as the Lightning Witch –Nevan."

And Nevan, like most of all those who had wandered the intricate halls of the Temen-ni-gru, was supposed to be resigned to a Devil Arm form. Her will and soul lived on, but her consciousness and autonomy more or less gone. Effectively, she was supposed to be dead, much like V and Griffon.

What role did she play in their arrival here?


	6. 06: Hunter and Hunted

"Don't pretend that I'm not here," nee-chan said, irate. She reached out a hand to separate V and Griffon. V used his cane to swat away her wrist. While nee-chan was obviously startled, V pointed his cane toward his clubmates and the two older girls near the arcade entrance.

"There she is," V said. His eyes were on who he assumed to be Nevan, his cane aimed in her direction. "The woman who broke our hearts."

Nee-chan turned her gaze to the small congregation V was pointing at. She squinted her eyes at them. "Wait, you can't mean... That one girl looks kinda like Yukinoshita, but Shiromeguri? I never really talked with her, but she never seemed like the type to cheat on a someone."

This Shiromeguri person checked her phone and traded farewells with the others around her. She briskly walked away while Hkigaya and Yukinoshita were still pestered by the other girl.

"Nah, it's not Shiromeguri-senpai," Griffon said, giving V a short glance. "It's the chick next to her. Haruno-chan." In a lower tone inaudible to nee-chan, Griffon told Taishi, "Haruno's a pal of one of Ooka's buddies, and she's Yukino's older sis. Shiromeguri Meguri is the ex-president of the Student Council. Both of 'em should be in college by now. I'm not getting any demon vibes from Haruno, though."

V didn't see any subtle sign of demonic characteristics on Haruno's person. "We prioritize Shiromeguri, then," he replied. She would soon be out of sight if V or Griffon did not act fast.

They followed after her and abandoned nee-chan. Fortunately, nee-chan was distracted, saying under her breath, "So this Haruno person was the one who..." V couldn't hear the rest as he and Griffon were already a good distance away. She may try to chase after them once she realized they were gone, but V was hoping for her to instead confront Haruno before searching for them.

"Nee-chan won't be happy with you lying to her and abruptly whisking her little brother away," V said to his faithful companion, "but it can't be helped. We'll handle that matter once we've settled things with Nevan."

"I hear ya. So, really, what's our plan for the Witch?"

"For now, mere observation. Hurry on. We don't want to lose her."

Nevan entered a restaurant and sat at a table. She was on her phone, waiting for someone. After giving Griffon brief instructions, V remained outside of the restaurant and leaned against a wall. He pulled out his book, pretending to read. Meanwhile, Griffon went to the store opposite the restaurant. V would eavesdrop on Nevan, and Griffon would have a wider view of whoever approached her.

They didn't have to wait long.

"Hey, Meguri-chan!" greeted a boy's voice.

"Yamato-kun!"

V was not ashamed to admit that, upon hearing that name, he lost his grip on his book. He just barely caught it with his other hand, though then he dropped his cane. V prevented it from hitting the floor by catching the handle with his knee.

As V reoriented himself, he paid close attention to Nevan's and Yamato's conversation. They spoke only of mundane, trivial topics, but that must only be a cover. Who was this Yamato? A manifestation of Vergil's signature blade controlling its own human host? The Yamato was indeed a Devil Arm, and so it likely had a sentient form, a self-conscious embodiment of its own power and will. Or perhaps he served as an extension of the original Vergil's will, like how the Yamato blade had resonated with Nero's bloodline and reformed itself.

A paper airplane nearly hit V before he snatched it out of the air. It was sent by Griffon, who was fiddling with his book bag and nodding at V encouragingly. V opened up the paper and read, "Yamato's a friend of Ooka. Didn't know he was going out with her. Not related to your sword."

Ah. So "Yamato" was just his given name, likely not a reference to a hidden demonic side.

Still, V planned on observing him as keenly as he did Nevan.

"... Let's take a walk," Nevan eventually said.

"Huh? But I thought you wanted to eat here?"

Nevan and Yamato left the restaurant. V watched in the corner of his eye the pair interlocking the arms as they swerved through passerby. Trading glances with Griffon, they joined together and continued their pursuit.

They left the mall. Nevan and Yamato spoke only more about meaningless dribble. Exams. Annoying friends. Part-time jobs. Spending more time together. Making their relationship public instead of having to avoid their usual cliques. Oh, but Meguri isn't sure what her friends would think about her being with a rumored "three-timing douchebag". Yet Yamato vehemently promises that Meguri is the only girl for him.

Nevan planted a kiss on Yamato's cheek. He held her closer. How touching.

"Getting some déjà vu vibes here," Griffon commented to V. "I'm remembering a little about what Ooka was doing with her. Between the cuddling, she mentioned being embarrassed about going out with the guy rumored to have tried playing dirty at baseball. You getting any reminders on what Nevan did with Taishi?"

"None whatsoever. Your memories may be resurfacing because you still retain demonic power and it is resonating with the demon who had brought us to this world."

"Why would Nevan of all gals put us in human bodies like this? Hell, how could she have even done it?"

"I don't know. We'll have to ask her, once she's alone."

As luck would have it, the couple took sharp tun into a side street. They were taking their time walking along. This road was less crowded than the path they had just been on. Because they could no longer effectively shroud themselves among the passerby, V and Griffon had to trail after them from a farther distance away, lest they be spotted. Because of that, they weren't able to hear any more of their conversation.

Eventually, Nevan and Yamato came to a spot under the shade of a tree. The area was devoid of any loiterers or passing strollers. V and Griffon made themselves inconspicuous, hugging a wall. Griffon kept watch for any other arrivals while V observed their quarries.

"Do you still have it on you?" Nevan asked her companion.

"Of course!"

Yamato revealed a purple medallion, it's design greatly resembling the glowing core that had served as Nightmare's singular eye.

The medallion, Nevan's scarf, Griffon's quill, and V's book... These objects must have a role in preparing a human's body for housing a demon's soul and power; though in V's case, he lacked the power.

"You're keeping it safe, right?" Nevan whispered in a low tone. Her hands enveloped Yamato's and the medallion. They continued to converse in hushed voices. V strained to listen further. They seemed to be flirting, but there was always the chance of something to be read between the lines.

"Get ready," Nevan said as she and Yamato leaned closer for a kiss.

Except, before their lips touched, Nevan placed a finger between their mouths. Yamato was understandably stunned and confused, unsure how to react. Then, with a smile, Nevan let out a breath that was visible with violet smoke. V could see a small spark of lightning amid the smoke. Yamato instinctively breathed it in. Releasing Nevan from their embrace, he began coughing profusely, croaking and wheezing as he fell to his knees.

Nevan walked a few feet away from Yamato. She took deliberate steps, her body language resembling more of the demonic seductress Vergil had battled years prior.

"Come on out!" she called out. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. V made sure to pull back and avoid her gaze.

"She talking about us?" Griffon asked as he nudged V.

"I know you've been following us since the mall," she continued, "you naughty boy. Is that any way to treat a lady?"

"Crap. How'd she catch us?"

From her words, V had an idea. "She said 'boy', not 'boys'. You can sense her demonic presence. She may have sensed your own."

"What? It's not like I'm trying to telegraph..." Griffon raised his head to look toward the roof edges above them. "Something else is coming."

Hooded figures dropped down from the surrounding buildings. With twilight nearing, the figures hid themselves in the long shadows the sun casted. One of the figures landed directly in front of V and Griffon. With his back facing them, the figure slowly pulled himself up from his crouched position.

The figure spun around with a blade in his hand. Griffon shoved V away and dodged himself just in time to avoid getting slashed. As V rolled across the ground, he swept with his cane to knock their attacker off his feet. Griffon clapped his hands together, a bolt of lightning hitting the figure in the chest and sending him flying down the street. He lost his grip on his bladed weapon, letting V catch it by the handle while the figure crashed against a light post in the distance.

V examined the weapon. It was a small sickle with an oversized blade. Looking to the blade's owner being helped by the other newcomers, V saw that he was dressed in a red jacket. His three companions also wore jackets of varying colors and held their own sickles.

They vaguely resembled the scythe-wielding, skeletal Hells that had roamed the Temen-ni-gru and Redgrave City. The figure in red shrugged off Griffon's attack, as well, standing as if the burst of lightning hadn't done obvious damage to him. So even lesser demons possessed human hosts, not just exceptionally powerful demons.

Nevan walked ahead of the Hells. She had long stride but sauntered at a patient pace. "My, my," she said in that old sultry tone of hers, "Griffon, yes? We were expecting you to come home eventually, but now you've brought a friend."

"Come home?" Griffon repeated. He snapped his fingers and twisted his wrists, summoning brief flashes of lightning and positioned himself to release more bolts. "The heck are you talking about? How the heck are you or any of us even alive right now?"

With curiosity, Nevan tilted her head. Slowly, her focus drifted to V. She treated him with a thin smile. "Taishi-kun," she said in an affectionate tone that didn't truly offer V any warmth. "Or do you prefer V? You've changed since the last time we spoke."

"Have I now?" V replied. "I don't quite recall. Perhaps you can jog my memory."

"Already asking for another kiss? Your father had his charm, but I didn't think you'd be so bold." Nevan narrowed her eyes. "Although, you aren't really a true Son of Sparda. You're less a handsome devil and more a boring human, like Yamato-kun or the original Taishi-kun."

"If my current form is so bland, then why summon me in young Taishi's body?"

As Nevan took a step forward, her smile widened. "Well, young sir, how about you leave old feather face behind and come with me? I'm sure I can answer all of your questions."

Griffon snorted. "What, am I or Yamato not good enough for you anymore?" he barked sarcastically. "It looks like you have your own little posse already, too. Why the interest in V?"

"You? You can wait your turn." Nevan gestured at the Hells. They surrounded the still coughing Yamato. Two restrained Yamato by the arms while the other two stood in front of him and kept wary eyes on V and Griffon. "You can go with my little helpers. You saw my present to Yamato while you were spying on us, didn't you? Help ease Nightmare in, and I can have V all to myself."

"A tempting offer," V said before Griffon could offer an irate wisecrack, "but for what purpose do you have for placing the souls of demons into human hosts?"

"Come with me and find out." The Hells began dragging the incapacitated Yamato away.

Old Vergil would have likely considered forsaking Yamato to the whims of such demonic company as acceptable collateral, but V was not quite as apathetic. "First, release the boy. Then we can talk."

Nevan chuckled. "Maybe I was wrong. I recognize that tone. Like father, like son." The demonic seductress raised a hand into the air, poised to snap her fingers. "You resemble your bloodline more than I thought."

While Nevan didn't actually snap her fingers, V still could feel the air pressure change behind him. A new being materialized, teleporting into place with a monstrous, weary moan. V followed his instincts and turned around, swinging his cane to deflect the sharp blade sent his way. It was another Hell, this tall one dressed in a white hoodie. It resembled the mummy-like Sloths of the Temen-ni-gru. The Sloths in particular had specialized in teleporting and suddenly ambushing its targets.

With V's stolen sickle in his other hand, he jammed it into the Sloth's neck. The demon gave out a pained cry before becoming rigidly still, then dropping his own weapon and letting his body grow lax and loose. V had to wrench his sickle out of the now dead demon by placing his foot on the body and using it for traction.

V looked over his shoulder to see Griffon summoning an orb of lightening. It released two separate beams that moved in sync toward each other, like the blades of a pair of scissors. The beams were long enough to catch one of the Hells who had been holding Yamato. Yamato was released to plop on the floor, spared from the attack, as the demon became overwhelmed by the sudden surge of shocking energy. Nevan and the other Hells, however, jumped out of the path of the beams in time.

Airborne, Nevan cried out, "How's this?" She swung her arms to release a dark shadow cackling with purple lightning. It was directed at V. V took one step back. Without pause, Griffon grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. With his own latent superhuman strength, Griffon jumped high with V in tow.

The shadowy lightning shifted direction, tracking its targets. Griffon hit the side of a neighboring building, held onto a window sill for a brief second, and then jumped again. The shadow burst apart against the wall.

The red-hooded Hell – a Lust, by its mannerisms and general appearance – ran along the building and hopped off at the same time Griffon did. The Lust lunged for V and Griffon. Griffon released V so that the Lust would tackle only him. V wanted to land on his feet, but his body wasn't quite spry enough. He let his arm and shoulder hit the ground first before rolling into a crouched posture.

When V looked up, a Hell dressed in green with a hunched back landed near him. A Hell Gluttony. Its eyes glowed an inhuman red as it opened its mouth, releasing a torrent of blurry, smoky sand. V rolled again to the side to avoid the attack. Unfortunately, a black-hooded Hell Pride was descending from an adjacent rooftop with its sickle aimed for V's head.

As V blocked the overhead attack with his cane, the Gluttony charged from V's front. V had his other weapon to deflect the second attack, but the weight of the Pride and the force of the Gluttony pushed V off his feet. Their weapons tangled against each other as they all fell. The Pride landed on his side. V's back hit the floor with the Gluttony on top of him.

Wincing in pain, V's breathing was interrupted as the Gluttony wrapped his fingers around his throat. The demon prepared to vomit another sand attack from its mouth. Before it could, V stabbed the Gluttony's neck. A few drops of pale red blood dropped down on V's face. A small, inconsequential annoyance, but at least the grip on his throat slackened.

The Pride reoriented itself to swing its blade. The demon was cut short as the Lust was thrown against it. The two Hells caught themselves from falling again, only to be hit by a series of disappearing and reappearing pillars of lightning rising up from the ground that sent them flying away.

Griffon came quickly to V's side and shoved the Gluttony off him. This time, V pressed the end of his cane against the Hell to gain enough traction to pull free his blade. "Negotiations have failed!" Griffon said as he and V weaved under a flurry of electrified bats Nevan sent their way. Griffon snapped his fingers and spread his arms wide in a dramatic fashion. He summoned a wall of lightning that canceled out further projectile attacks from Nevan. "What's the plan now, V?"

Standing beside Griffon, V looked through their small barrier. The Pride and remaining the Hell who had been initially shocked by Griffon's attack, the Hell Envy, took hold of Yamato once more. Nevan and the Lust stood guard for them.

"Eliminate the Hells," V said. "Secure the boy; failing that, the medallion. Incapacitate Nevan and interrogate her."

V could hear Nevan release a snicker. Her entire form melted into a mob of bats. Together, they flew directly through Griffon's improvised lightning barrier. Griffon and V instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces from getting mauled by the bats. As Griffon's barrier dissipated, Nevan's voice echoed, "Get ready, sugar."

Nevan's body rematerialized, dark shadows surrounding her. Her whirled her body and limbs around in a showy dance. The shadows formed blades. V stepped back, but the black razors were still too close for his liking. He raised his sickle, only for it to be cut in half once Nevan's twisting shadows scraped against it. In the corner of his eye, V could see Griffon get tackled by the Lust once more.

When V tried maneuvering around Nevan to assist Griffon, she ceased her dance and pinned V against the wall. Her grip on V's wrists held true. Her nails dug into his skin and he couldn't move his cane with enough force to hit Nevan. His broken sickle fell from his grasp. He tried kneeing her gut, but Nevan merely pressed her own legs against his own. If V still had his original body, that of Vergil's human half, he would likely have been able to overpower Nevan. With Taishi's average teenage body, however, it wasn't enough.

"We really need to talk," she said in a low voice. V tried headbutting her. She just pressed her forehead against his. "You can't escape..."

An unwanted kiss from the seductress when Vergil had battled her phantom in the depths of the Underworld had drained his strength and stamina signifiantly. A kiss from the Nevan now would presumably do the same.

Desperate times, then. Desperate measures. Vergil would have too much pride for this maneuver, but V wasn't in a position to concern himself with such things. "The worksman throws his hammer down," V recited, "to heave the bloody bill."

When Nevan leaned in for the kiss, V rapidly bit her nose.

Nevan's surprise was quite apparent. She released her hold over V and tried backing away. With his cane, V swept her off her feet and pinned her to the floor. He planted his cane against her throat. "Be still," V commanded.

Her face was hidden by her hands, but V could tell from the look in her eyes that she was smiling. "You have no shame."

"I require answers," V said, applying pressure. "You will give them to me."

"I require answers, too." Nevan suddenly shoved the cane off her throat. She pushed V's leg and tripped him. As he fell, she grabbed V's collar and pulled his face close to hers. Her nose was mangled and bloodied, but she draped a palm over it and a mist of violet smoke altered it to restore her spotless beauty. She gently stroked a finger down V's cheek. "You'll want to give them to me, after I'm done with you."

A burst of light exploded above V and Nevan. They glanced up to see the Lust plummet toward them. Nevan's form shifted into a shadow that sunk into the ground. A part of the shadow gripped V's ankle and pulled him along the floor. The Lust's body was scorched and smoking as it landed, dead.

Griffon thrust his fist with a flourish of lightning bolts into Nevan's shadow. Though Nevan herself wielded lightning as a weapon, she wasn't immune to damage from it. She squealed in pain. Erratically, her shadows spun up from the ground and swung in the air, not unlike Shadow's shape-shifting attacks but with less control. V was forced to one end of the street with Griffon on the other, with Nevan's human form taking shape and rising out of the ground.

In the distance, the remaining two Hells were taking Yamato away. "Griffon," V called out loudly, "go after the boy and the medallion!"

"What?! What about you?"

"I'll take care of him," Nevan chimed in. "It wouldn't be our first time alone together."

V could tell that Nevan had a key interest in him in particular. They can make use of that and ensure the Hells don't summon Nightmare in a human vessel. V could only speculate how Nevan and her demonic allies possessed unsuspecting human bodies, but it would only be speculation unless they took risks and acted when the opportunity was there for the taking.

"Go!" V insisted. He glared at Griffon. Despite his obvious hesitance and worry, Griffon obeyed and ran after the Hells. Meanwhile, V tossed his cane up and caught it in his other hand. He pointed at Nevan. "You are itching to play," he taunted for good measure. "I can tell."

"Enjoying yourself, are you?" Nevan stepped forward.

Ignoring the aches across Taishi's body, V slid out of the way of another torrent of lightning-powered bats and, as fast as his feet would allow him, ran down another street.

Nevan pursued. Thankfully, it wasn't long until V was dashing pass human civilians. Nevan avoided using her demonic powers once that was the case. She also slowed her pace to a brisk walk, no longer running or riding along her shadow. Her identity as Shiromeguri Meguri must still be a cover she needed to maintain.

There was a thick crowd of passerby V traversed through which he hoped to lose Nevan in. Once he got through the crowd, he found himself in front of an entrance to the mall. He turned to head into another direction, but he spotted Nevan gaining on him. What exactly would she do once she caught up to him, in the middle of the city surrounded by human bystanders? V did not know, but he thought it better to be on the move with multiple witnesses close by to make her think twice about her utilizing her powers. With few options for V to turn to and Nevan nearing, V entered the mall.

He soon lost sight of her. Regardless, V remained on the move, scanning his environment for any sign of Nevan.

V's face was suddenly shrouded in darkness. His vision was blocked and his breathing cut off. He remained calm, but he could feel Taishi's heart beat harder. He swiftly stepped back and held up his cane.

It was neither Nevan nor another demon who had appeared in front of V. Instead, the person whose chest V pinned the end of his cane against was Yukinoshita Haruno. Her face conveyed bemusement. Her eyes seemed to scrutinize V intently.

"My apologies," V said, removing his cane off the young woman. V turned his back to the Yukinoshita, twirling his cane as he did so. "Excuse me." However, someone stopped his spinning as another person caught his cane mid-twirl. V looked to his side to see nee-chan unpleasantly frowning at him. She needn't say any words to express how she felt about his and Griffon's disappearing act.

"So you don't recognize him?" nee-chan asked in a clipped tone without taking her eyes off V.

Haruno smiled courteously and shook her head. "This is the first time I've ever seen him. He's bolder than I expected, though."

"You found Taishi-kun?" said feminine a voice, Yuigahama's, behind Haruno. "Is Ooka with him?"

"Why are we still here?" asked Hikigaya's voice. "It's pretty obvious they've been lying to us from the start."

"Maybe we don't know the full story, onii-chan."

"That may be, Komachi-chan," said the younger Yukinoshita, "but it's apparent we've been lied to."

The rest of the Service Club was here. Not good. V had to distance himself from them before –

Too late. V heard laughter accompany an arm being draped around his shoulders. "Caught you!" Nevan said, her voice resembling less of her voluptuous nature but still retaining the playfulness. In a soft whisper only V could discern, she also said, "Play along. You stay your hands, I'll do the same."

V will have to abide by those terms. For the moment. If she wanted to, as they are now, she could likely break V's neck before he could blink.

"Pardon the misdirection, nee-chan," V said, trying in vain to discreetly release Nevan's hold over him. Her grip did not waver. Applying more force on V's part would only cause a scene. "Ooka was embarrassed when we had spotted Meguri. He focused your attention to the elder Yukinoshita while he and I discussed how to proceed. Ultimately, he went off on his own while I confronted her."

The Service Club, nee-chan, and Haruno all blankly stared on as Nevan cuddled with V.

"Wait a second!" Yuigahama blurted out. "The cheating girlfriend is real?! And it's... it's..." Hikigaya and the Yukinoshita Yukino were completely silent, save for their breathing. They merely looked on unblinkingly.

"Meguri-san," Haruno said quietly, "you're being awfully comfortable with that kohai." Haruno gave a small smile, but V couldn't sense any warmth from it. "I didn't realize you were into younger guys."

"Haru-san," Nevan said in a mock-lecturing tone, "it's not about age. It's about personality, and Taishi-kun's got a pretty compelling one."

"Not good enough to continue the farce, it seems," V added offhandedly, seeing how she seemed to lead on Taishi, Ooka, and Yamato.

Nevan giggled. "What can I say? There are a lot of fish in the sea." She pressed two fingers across her lips – no purple smoke or light, so no danger there – and caressed... caressed where blood had fallen on V's cheek. He had forgotten about that. V was so used to blood staining on himself during battle, he hadn't accounted for what people may think when they saw him with such blemishes.

Now that he was looking, he noticed Nevan wearing lipstick. She must have applied it when they had lost sight of each other in the mall. "Taishi-kun's one of my favorites, though," she said. "I was worried when he stopped answering my calls, but he explained his situation after our date that night. I think we'll spend some more time together tonight. He deserves more than a get-well-soon kiss from me."

"Didn't you have a date with someone else tonight?" Haruno asked.

"Can you blame me? Today's the first time I've seen Taishi-kun in the past month, and he's the most interesting of the boys I've been with." Lowering her voice but still audible to those nearby, Nevan said, "Well, he's only half-interesting because of his father, and his mother –"

Nee-chan cut Nevan off. Nee-chan spoke resolutely and with hostility. "Let go of him." She pulled on V's cane and moved to shove off Nevan's arm. Still, Nevan would not relent.

"Ah, Saki-chan," Nevan greeted slyly. "Taishi-kun's mentioned you. He's a big boy, you know. He can take care of himself." She pressed her cheek against V's and winked. Taishi would be quite embarrassed and nervous at how close a cute, slightly older girl was being with him in front of an audience. V, on the other hand, retained a straight face.

"Indeed, I can," V said. He stabbed his cane downward, aiming for Nevan's foot. She shifted it out of the way, but she finally let V go after repeated attempts to stab or trip her. She stepped back and raised her hands up as she regarded V with amusement. "I think we've had enough fun for one night. We still have business to discuss."

"What business?" nee-chan prompted. She stepped in front of V, as if to be his shield against Nevan. "You mean the stuff she took from you? Then, Shiromeguri-san, give back what you took and leave my brother alone."

Nevan tilted her head as she met nee-chan's harsh eyes. She grinned provocatively. "No one likes a helicopter parent, much less a helicopter sibling. That's one step away from being a bro-con."

"And no one likes some two-faced hussy lying and cheating on innocent high school boys," nee-chan said in return. The insult failed to rile Nevan.

"Hey," Yuigahama spoke up tentatively, "maybe Shiromeguri-senpai has a good reason for... for..." What little confidence she had when speaking dissipated the more she went on.

Hikigaya and the younger Yukinoshita still seemed to be stuck in a state of stupefaction, unable or unwilling to speak. Perhaps the Service Club knew Shiromeguri Meguri, and Nevan's mannerisms conveyed through Meguri's body was off-putting for them. Komachi broke out of her own astonished spell and said, "Taishi mentioned buying his poetry book from a store, but Yukinoshita-senpai said you like poems, too. So, did you give Taishi-kun his poetry book?"

"Oh, he still has it?" Nevan's smile grew wider. She then... She recited a few lines of a poem from his book. "I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear, to lean in joy upon our fathers' knee." Nevan held out her palm for V to take, though nee-chan continued to stand between them. "And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair, and be like him and he will then love me."

… Was there a hidden meaning behind Nevan's choice of words? Truth hidden under taunts?

"Does the thing you took from Taishi-kun have something to do with this poetry nonsense?" nee-chan asked Nevan.

The demon seductresses shook her head. She reached into a pocket. As a precaution, in case Nevan pulled out some weapon or device to threaten V or their audience, V readied himself to slip past nee-chan and attack Nevan.

Instead of a weapon, Nevan revealed an amulet.

It was an ornate, red jewel wrought in silver. It perfectly matched the complete amulet that had originally belonged to Dante's and Vergil's mother, Eva.

The original Perfect Amulet had been a key to open a gateway between the human world and the demon world. It had also been infused with enough demonic energy to awaken the true form and power of Sparda's signature blade, the Force Edge.

Nevan also revealed two more amulets identical to the first.

"One for Yamato-kun," Nevan counted off, "one for Ooka-kun, and one for you... V."

"Wait, what?!" spat out Yuigahama. "Yamato is part of this, too?"

"V," Hikigaya said absently. "That's the same letter on the poetry book. Ooka called you that, too. Did Shiromeguri-senpai give you that nickname?"

"His name is Taishi," nee-chan said through gritted teeth. She glared at the amulets, then at Nevan, and then, with mildly less tense eyes, at V. "Taishi-kun, do you really need those shiny toys back or want to spend any more time with Shiromeguri? You said she broke your heart. Just move on and stay away from her. You don't need anything else from her."

"I can offer a lot, actually," Nevan said, jingling the amulets together. She grinned at Hikigaya and leaned slightly toward him. "Maybe Hachi-kun would be interested in –"

Haruno stepped in as a barrier between Nevan and the blushing Hikigaya. "I think you're being a bit too careless, Meguri-san," Haruno said, not impolitely. Hikigaya blushed a faint red, but he looked more confused and shocked than flustered.

… It was entirely possible for the amulets to be red herrings meant to mislead V. Still, it was also possible for Nevan with her demonic power to be clearly flaunting her superiority by brazenly showing off the amulets.

As Nevan, Haruno, and nee-chan continued to bicker, V felt Komachi reach out and tugged his shirt sleeve. "Is Shiromeguri-senpai really this 'Lightning Witch'? You were dating her?" Her voice held less bewilderment and more calm inquisitiveness. She also held out a napkin and a can of soda. V took the offered items gratefully and began wiping off his blood stain.

"Dating is a strong word," V said as he took a sip. He kept Nevan in his line of sight to catch any sudden actions she may partake in. Nevan did the same for him as she conversed with the rest of the group. "I may have been infatuated by her looks, but she had benefited the most out of our relationship."

Komachi asked, "What did she get out of hanging out with you?"

V's demonic power, presumably. Since he couldn't exactly say that to Komachi's face, he answered, "The power over one weaker and inferior compared to herself. At least, the perception of such power over one she viewed as inferior."

Similar to how Griffon's confrontation with V at Soubu High had initially gone, V threw his soft drink at Nevan's face.

Unlike Griffon, she caught the can easily with one hand. Even so, V was already moving rapidly enough to swipe the amulets out of her other hand. Her grip on the amulets were strong, but V jabbing his knuckles against her wrist while she was momentarily distracted was enough to break her hold. Before she could grab the amulets back, V slid behind Haruno. Whether because of Meguri's remnant influence over her body or Nevan's own affection for Haruno, Nevan hesitated going through or around Haruno to get to V.

"I'll be taking these," V said, holding the amulets behind his back. "If you want, consider them recompense for your crimes."

Nevan chuckled. "I'm no saint, but don't forget about yourself, young sir. You're still a devil at heart, just like me."

Nee-chan was about to give another comment on that when Nevan raised her hand up in the air, much like how she had raised her hand when the Hell Sloth had appeared.

The reverberations of a violent explosion rang out. V's ears were assaulted by the sharp, abrupt sound, as were the ears of those around him. Everyone – Nevan included, though it may have been an act for her – covered their heads and looked down. The ground shook as well. Others walking throughout the mall tripped and fell over.

V also heard the familiar sound of a clock hand striking the hour, or of a grand gong being struck.

It was the telltale sign of a Hell Vanguard teleporting in the immediate vicinity.

V did not see him, but the Vanguard enclosed V in a restrictive chokehold from behind him. A second after, V's world rippled away into darkness.


	7. 07: Parted Memento

V reappeared in an outdoor loading dock area. He was brought to his knees. A hand roughly grabbing his head forced him to bend his back and stare at the floor. The curved blade of a scythe – significantly larger, longer, and sharper than the other Hells' sickles – held against V's throat and chin. The Hell Vanguard restraining V let out ghostly chuckles.

Looking up, V was welcomed by the charred, burnt corpse of a lesser Hell: a Wrath. It wore black bandages and a mask with one eye and the mouth sewn shut. Dark orange, tangled bits of flesh were strewn atop and around him. Remnants of the bomb Hell Wraths were known to use in suicidal attacks, V assumed.

The bombs rarely did direct physical damage to the environment around it when they went off. Instead, they exclusively targeted living, breathing quarries, whether with the deafening noise or the blast itself. As such, the loading dock was spotless aside from the blood of the Wrath. No scorch marks. However, V could see the damage done along the floors and walls from Griffon's lightning attacks.

Griffon had his back against a garage door. He pointed finger guns at the Pride and the Envy cornering him. Griffon had blood seeping down from his temple down the side of his face and had small cuts chipped across his jaw, but he was otherwise uninjured. The Wrath's explosion was a failure, then. However, beside Griffon on the floor, the Yamato boy was nursing a bloody leg, his knee notably bludgeoned.

"What the hell?" Yamato shrieked when he saw V and the Vanguard. "What is – How did – What the hell is happening, Ooka?"

"What's happening is that I'm saving your ass, so pipe down and..." Griffon and V made eye contact.

The Vanguard cackled as it pressed the scythe further against V. Enough to feel the sharpness but not quite enough to break skin. "Submit," the Vanguard commanded.

Griffon hesitated. "Do as he says," V called out. He was in a precarious position. He was weak. He was vulnerable. He was human. Neither he nor Griffon had the power to overcome this situation on their own. Not yet.

Griffon opened his hands and held up his arms. He was unhappy but resigned to do as he was told. Yamato, on the other hand, became quite panicked and jumpy as the lesser Hells approached him.

V ignored the boy's screams. V had to figure out a way to break free of the Vanguard. The demon's physical strength already outmatched him, so the direct approach wouldn't work. V couldn't exactly move or place himself to somehow outmaneuver the Vanguard either. His cane would also do little against the scythe.

An inconspicuous van rolled into the loading bay. V couldn't see the driver, but he assumed it to be another Hell. Yamato was shoved into the back. The Envy stepped inside with him. Walking to V, the Pride stole the three amulets V had taken from Nevan out of his grasp. After briefly examining them, the Pride tossed one amulet into the van before the vehicle drove off.

"Where'd you get those, V?" Griffon asked. He was staring at the amulets with distaste. He must have recognized them, as well, though more likely as a facet of the duels between Dante and Nelo Angelo rather than as Eva's gift to her children.

"Nevan had them," V answered, struggling to speak clearly with a blade still against his throat. "Care to elaborate on them, Vanguard?"

Both Hells were silent. The Pride stared at the amulets in his hands.

"The Proud Souls," the Vanguard echoed. The Pride looked up. "Use them."

The Pride appeared uncertain. Was that what they referred to the amulets? Proud Souls?

"Lightning Witch," the Vanguard said in that ghastly voice of his, "forget her. We need more power. Use them."

With slow, sluggish movements, the Pride placed one amulet below V and the other by Griffon's feet. The demon placed a hand on Griffon's shoulder and forced him to his knees. All the while, Griffon's gaze was steadfastly on V. He was waiting for the go-ahead to act. V could not oblige him.

"Take it easy," Griffon said to the Pride without shifting his stare. "Human body's not used to so much hopping around. It's been hell on my knees."

The Hell Pride locked his sickle around Griffon's neck, similar to how V was being restrained. Then, the Pride stepped on the amulet. Cracks formed on the red jewel. Through those cracks, one could see a bluish-purple mist seep out of it. It was different from the purple smoke Nevan released. This mist was...

V could sense it. Feel it. Feel it's sheer presence, the power – the demonic power imbedded in it.

The amulet contained traces of Griffon's true demonic power and potential. Even from this short distance, V was filled with nostalgic feelings of summoning Griffon's original avian form on his arm for taunting, to make use of his aerial and electrical abilities, or to simply have another voice to bounce back ideas with.

Wait. It wasn't only the Pride's amulet releasing demonic fumes. The Hell Vanguard stepped on the amulet underneath V to release its own cloud of bluish-purple mist. V could sense traces of his own demonic power. The small shakes and tingling through his skin where his tattoos once were. The unmistakable sixth sense that accompanies with having contracts with familiars, of being able to summon them and be aware of their strength and pains.

V almost forgot that he was still confined to Taishi's body. After a month of truly being human, these sensations were overwhelming.

The Hells placed their free hands amid the slowly spewing mist. V was reminded of when he and Griffon had encountered the lesser Nobody demons needlessly worshipping and praising the Devil Sword Sparda. No deity or higher being would have rewarded for the Nobodies for their adoration, but V could see the Hell Pride's eyes glow a bright red and slivers of purple smoke exude from his body. Though in the form of a human, the Pride was resembling its kind's common Devil Trigger form, embodying the fullest extent of its power.

"We need more power," the Vanguard had said...

The Vanguard suddenly shrieked in pain. V felt himself awaken from a dazed trance. As the Vanguard fell forward, V sidestepped to avoid getting buried under the demon. V snatched the amulet and attempted to stab the Vanguard with his cane, but the Hell faded away with an echo of a bell ringing out before he could land a blow.

"Impatient little devils, aren't they?" said Nevan as she strolled onto the scene. From the way a small collection of electrified bats was whirling around her outstretched arm, she must be the one who had attacked the Vanguard. Nevan was still smiling as always. "I told them to wait their turn."

With V's life no longer immediately at danger, Griffon released a burst of lightning surrounding himself that stretched out to cover the Hell Pride. Normally, the lightning attack would either knock the Pride away or stun him into a paralyzed pose. With the Pride active in a rudimentary Devil Trigger form, however, the demon did not flinch and slashed at Griffon's neck.

Not a deep wound, but V was panicked enough to foolishly rush in to attack the Pride. He only realized what he was doing when his cane was pressing itself against the Pride's sternum. What could Taishi's ordinary walking cane do to a demon in an enhanced state?

The Pride grabbed V's cane and moved it aside, making space for the Pride to swing its sickle downward for V's head.

Nevan sent another lightning shock that hit the Pride squarely in the face, stunning it and preventing it from carrying out its attack. Griffon, still alive and conscious, wrapped his arms around the Pride's torso and pulled the Hell up off its feet. Much like how Hiratsuka-sensei had grappled Griffon earlier today, Griffon performed a suplex on the Pride, only Griffon's was successful. The Pride's devilish aura and glowing eyes disappeared as the top of its head cracked against the floor.

Maybe part of the reason the Pride lost its Devil Trigger state was because of the farther proximity with Griffon's amulet. While Griffon began repeatedly punching the fallen Pride, V reached to pick it up. As he did so, however, Nevan hugged him from behind. V froze, tense. She had rescued V and Griffon just now, but what was her endgame?

"We'll have to finish our business another time," she whispered into his ear. "For now, we better put on a good show."

"A show for who?" V asked. Griffon halted his barrage on the incapacitated Hell and was ready to fire a bolt of lightning at Nevan.

"Why not pick on someone your own size, witch?" Griffon barked at Nevan. "Face someone like a real devil for once, instead of trying to leech off V or some lonely boys for company. Makes you look desperate, and that ain't a good look for you."

"Another time, birdie," Nevan dismissed. "Here's the story: the same daring gang that's been robbing people blind this past month has also been harassing poor, sweet Meguri. She asked for her generous ex-boyfriends, too nice for their own good, to walk her home, but then this little fight here happened. We're all just happy to still be alive."

"The hell are you –"

V heard the footsteps denoting sprinting. He also heard distant sirens quickly growing louder in volume. "The police," V said in realization. It would be troublesome if V and the rest of them were forced to tell them the truth of their devilish business. Far more so if they were detained and fell under strict scrutiny rather than to be seen as average, innocent victims in an assault.

"Can't have the humans ruining our fun," Nevan purred, "especially after all the work I put into getting you here.

"The type of fun you've got in mind won't be any fun for anyone else," Griffon remarked, "except for yourself."

"Can't say that for sure till you see what I have to offer."

Seeking to regain his personal space, V pushed Nevan off him. She did not resist, releasing V. She must truly want their cooperation. "Are the Hells not your allies?" he asked, moving to stand beside the battle-ready Griffon. V held onto the two amulets in his hand tightly. "What's your game, Nevan?"

Nevan chuckled. "It can't be helped, you being so clueless. I've been busy, and I'll still be busy now that the Hells have shown their true colors."

The sprinting footsteps grew louder. A man dressed in security guard garb for the mall arrived. He called out to Nevan, but she melted into her own shadow, slid to the guard, and slit his throat with her own sickle.

V and Griffon were surprised at the sudden kill, though Griffon's reaction of flinching and tilting his head was more noticeable compared to V simply clenching his cane. "I thought you were asking for discretion," V said to Nevan.

"I am." Nevan raised the sickle up to behold. V recognized it. It was the broken blade V had used in the fight with her and the Hells earlier. The weapon's grip was held in Nevan's hand, shrouded in demonic shadow.

V only knew vaguely of how police investigations were conducted based on Taishi's memories of scant school reports and television shows, but according to those memories, Taishi's fingerprints would be on that handle and could be used to implicate V for murder; even if he pleaded self-defense, a bewitching devil like Nevan could certainly spin a damning tale and frame young Taishi as a murderer.

That would be inconvenient, to say the least.

"I don't want us to be enemies," Nevan said, engulfing the sickle into her shadow and letting it disappear from sight. "It's been a while since I got to stretch my legs. That's why I did the song and dance with you earlier. My Hellish friends seemed to have gotten too restless, however." She nodded her head at the amulets. They were still broken and exuding demonic power, but the cracks were glowing faintly and slowly sealing up.

These amulets stored V's and Griffon's true demonic power. Nevan and the Hells must need V and Griffon in order to truly access them. Perhaps they were conduits that were able to somehow channel the power to be absorbed by a host rather than to be left to dissipate into the atmosphere, hence why the Vanguard and the Pride had taken V and Griffon prisoner.

Why such a roundabout method to consume demonic power? Why place their souls in human bodies to begin with? V clearly needed more information to make any coherent sense of this.

Maybe he should destroy the amulets, right here and now. Absorb the power they released, and with it, be done with this entire charade. He could still feel its familiar allure, the assurance it gave, of being able to stand tall without being so helpless. V was significantly more vulnerable and less capable compared to Vergil, but just to even have a snippet of that power...

A voice shrieked out, "Taishi!"

It was nee-chan.

She was panting heavily as she ran up from around the corner. She shoved Griffon aside. V let nee-chan hug and appraise him. "Are you okay? Did they..." Nee-chan's face froze. She touched V's neck. Now, V was conscious of a very shallow cut along there. Nothing extreme. He wouldn't choke or bleed to death, but it did have a persistent stinging sensation to it. The Vanguard must have accidentally made the wound during Nevan's attack.

Nee-chan also began to notice the bodies of the Pride, the Wrath, and the civilian guard. She made sure V's view of them was blocked. A bit late for that, but V appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

Or, to be more accurate, Taishi appreciated it. Nee-chan can be overprotective, but that was because of honest love, passion, and care for her family. For her little brother.

V glanced at Nevan. She continued to smile but soon waved a hand over her face. Her calm, appealing appearance transformed to a bruised, teary-eyed countenance. Preparing to play out her part, it seemed.

Glancing at Griffon, V motioned for him to stand down. They'll follow along the narrative Nevan proposed. For now. Griffon heeded V's instruction. He turned away from V and nee-chan and kept his eyes on Nevan. He was startled when Nevan tackled him and sobbed into his chest. Nevan's actions were just for the show, of course. Before long, police officers and other security guards arrived on the scene.

While V remained wary of Nevan, he let Taishi's instincts to stay silent and be nothing but compliant with the authorities.

V also continued to hold tightly onto the amulets. They soon stopped emanating demonic power completely, but V did not lessen his grip one bit.

He wondered if Dante was somewhere in this world, as well.

X

The story given to the police: Shiromeguri Meguri had been in the process of having multiple relationships with multiple young men. Among them, one was affiliated with a gang of criminals. The gang had learned of Meguri's open relationship policy and had attacked Kawasaki Taishi, as a warning to what would happen to Meguri's other partners if they remained in contact with her. Young Taishi, Ooka, and Yamato could not but help worry for Meguri despite the rejection from her and the threats of violence on the gang's part. At the mall and in a nearby street, Taishi and Ooka encountered Meguri with the gang. Fights ensued. In a fit of rage, Yamato killed a few members of the gang before running off to chase after the rest, leaving the injured Taishi, Ooka, and Meguri behind.

The reality to V's understanding: Nevan, possessing Shiromeguri Meguri's body and with the assistance of a gang of Hells, imbued demonic souls into human hosts – though V appeared to be a defective case, as he was more man than devil. Perhaps the other assault and theft cases concocted by the gang were actually the Hells selecting more hosts to increase their numbers with other demons. Yamato had been their next target. V and Griffon failed to rescue the boy, but with the Hells apparently going against Nevan's orders, a temporary truce with the she-devil was established.

V still didn't trust Nevan, but at least she had given a convincing, sympathetic performance of a traumatic, abused girl fearing for her life and her ex-boyfriends' lives. Griffon had been overtalkative with his smart comments, his natural snark coming off as wanting to appear strong in the face of such adversity. V had been mostly quiet when not answering questions, owing to Taishi's feelings intimidated by having been attacked and by being questioned by tall, uniformed officers. At least he had nee-chan there and later his father to support him throughout the interrogations.

V had caught a brief glance of the Service Club while his injuries were being treated. They couldn't personally approach since the area was cordoned off, but V had given the best smile he could at them, to reassure them that despite what had transpired, things were fine. He didn't know how reassuring the look would be to them, but it was something to try to calm them.

The excess demon power from V's amulet had accelerated the healing for the cut on his neck. A visit to the hospital was deemed unnecessary for him, so after being treated by a paramedic, he was allowed to go home with Taishi's family. Kaa-san was already at home with his younger siblings.

To be honest, once they were home and nee-chan was busy putting Kei-chan to bed, V hardly paid any attention to the lecture kaa-san and tou-san gave him. He was only aware of the broad strokes. Questioning when his relationship with Shiromeguri-san had begun. To be careful and attentive when exploring romance and his attraction toward other girls. If there was any risk of Taishi's parents becoming grandparents far too soon. Why he had kept the entire situation with Shiromeguri and the delinquent gang a secret, especially for the part they had played in his stabbing.

Taishi gave short replies while V was preoccupied with contemplating how to move further.

How to reacquire his true power from his amulet. A Proud Soul, the Vanguard had referred to it as.

He could probably break and shatter the jewel and release the energy lurking inside it, if not with his own hands then with a tool somewhere lying around the house. However, would the power automatically be reabsorbed by V? Or would it simply seep into the air, enchanting the environment with raw demonic power? Such untapped and uncontrolled demon energy, whether manifesting naturally or manipulated by a higher power, could isolate one in a given area with blood-red barriers. The only way to bypass them would be to pay its toll: demon blood, of which V had none on hand.

V was resigned to a completely human body. Unlike his original form, he didn't even have the luxury of the leftover magic that had allowed V to form contracts with Vergil's nightmares. Today, V had felt the Proud Soul's allure, the memories that had sprung from being exposed to its magic if only for a moment, but demonic magic in general was capable of deceiving the senses. That was how some misguided demonic cults and worshippers were born on V's earth. Would destroying the amulet truly restore him to his full strength or in actuality spell disaster?

"Tai-kun?"

Pulled from his thoughts, V stopped staring at his amulet and turned his head toward the voice. Currently, he was leaning against the kitchen sink. He had only pretended to fall asleep when he had gone to bed. Though still sore from his fight, he couldn't get his mind off today's events and of the power he held in the palm of his hand. With moonlight shining through window curtains behind V, he had been gazing into the Proud Soul. Now his attention was drawn to little Kei-chan peeking around the corner of a cupboard.

The rest of the household should be fast asleep. V held a finger against his lips. Kei-chan mimicked the gesture. Mutually agreeing to proceed in silence, V grabbed his cane, pocketed the Proud Soul, and approached her. "It's pass your bedtime, Kei-chan," V told Taishi's favorite of his younger siblings.

"Pass yours, too, Tai-kun," she whispered conspiratorially back. She grabbed his wrist and dragged him along. They entered the living room. V turned on a lamp. Tiptoeing, Kei-chan crouched down to pull out a little folder and a box of coloring utensils from under the couch. Digging through the folder, she pulled out a piece of paper with a colorful drawing on it.

It was a childish imitation of one of the illustrations in V's book: a black tiger roaming amongst greenery with a bright blue sky sloppily colored behind it. Fittingly, "The Tyger" was the name of the poem accompanying the original drawing.

"Good?" Kei-chan asked.

V snatched a black crayon and shaded the tiger's mane of fur. "Good," V approved. "It could be better, though, with a little style added to it."

"Style?"

"Add a few personal touches to it. Make it your own." V wrote out "Kawasaki Keika" in English, with some flowery, curved lettering. "For example, a signature."

Being the child that she was with little knowledge on other languages, Kei-chan couldn't recognize her own name. Still, she seemed to enjoy the flourish and added her own line of inter-connected characters. "Tai-kun the Tiger!" she declared as she added her finishing touches around the drawing. V smiled at her enthusiasm.

Vergil had never been one for coloring books or drawing sketches as a child. His days prior to his mother's passing had been spent in reading and sparring, However, Taishi had often sketched and colored with Kei-chan whenever he was tasked to watch over her. V carried on the tradition, during the family visits to him at the hospital and during the days he had spent at the Kawasaki house leading up to his first day at Soubu High. They had even developed a game where she hid her drawings around the house and let V search for them, allowing for a little extra exercise while he regained his strength.

Kei-chan could hardly understand the text or deeper meaning behind V's favored poetry, but she was aware of the enjoyment he reaped from it. He read, and she drew. It was... peaceful.

"Tai-kun," Kei-chan said, frowning, "are you really okay now?"

No. Not quite. Nevertheless, V flipped open his book and found the appropriate page. "Tyger Tyger, burning bright," he read, "in the forests of the night. What immortal hand or eye, could frame thy fearful symmetry?"

Seeing the spirit rise again within her brother, Kei-chan regained her own brightness and resumed coloring. It must have bothered her that they had missed their chance to spend time together today with V going to school and joining the Service Club.

V read on. "In what distant deeps or skies..."

In time, lethargy began to overtake Kei-chan. Her coloring slowed and her eyelids were weakly drooping. V closed his book and nudged Kei-chan. "And now beside thee, bleating lamb," V said, putting away her crayons and pencils, "I can lie down and sleep."

A sudden burst of energy hit Kei-chan. As she moved her papers around, she selected one and showed it to V. It had drawing of a fish with particularly sharp, unpleasant eyes. For some odd reason, V felt himself reminded of Hikigaya. Then Kei-chan hopped up and said, "For Haa-chan! Give to him! Please!"

Right. Hikigaya had been assisting nee-chan pick Kei-chan up from the nursery. Kei-chan must miss him, too. "What about Komachi?" V asked.

"Already gave Ko-chan hers." Kei-chan said happily. She also latched onto and held up her tiger drawing. "Tai-kun the Tiger and Haa-chan the Halibut!"

V chuckled. "Very well. I'll deliver this to Hikigaya." Kei-chan tilted her head in confusion. "To Haa-chan," he amended. "I promise."

V's vow seemed to prompt Kei-chan's sleepiness to take hold. She dropped her drawings and fell against the base of the couch. V reached out a hand to ensure she wouldn't hurt herself. He picked her up in one arm and carried her to her room. "G'nigh, Tai-kun," she drowsily said as V tucked her in.

This was a nice distraction. Being bound in Kawasaki Taishi's body had its downsides, but spending time with Kei-chan tonight seemed to appease the turmoil inside, at least for a short while.

"He who binds to himself a joy," V silently said to himself as held onto his Proud Soul, "does the winged life destroy." V could feel no trace of its power. He pocketed it again and returned to the living room. "But he who kisses the joy as it flies," V picked up Kei-chan's drawings, hid her bounty of drawings back under the couch, and headed to his room, "lives in eternity's sunrise."


	8. 08: New Strength

V was minding his own business, sitting at his desk and reading his book as the lunch hour began, when a classmate drew near. "Hey," the student greeted. "You're Kawasaki-san. Right?"

"I am," V replied without straying from the current stanza he was focused on.

"I'm the class rep," the boy introduced himself, "Morikawa Tomoyuki. You don't plan on heading to the cafeteria today?"

"I brought a bento." He also didn't want to run into nee-chan or Komachi quite yet.

During their stroll to school this morning, nee-chan had neglected to trade very many words with V. He had provided her similar treatment. One needn't Taishi's influence to have felt the awkward, unpleasant air between them. To be fair to nee-chan, from her perspective, Taishi appeared to be a hypocrite for his subterfuge with her, especially when he and nee-chan had pledged to be more honest with one another at some point prior to V's arrival. Moreover, seeing the aftermath of the bloody ordeal last night would hardly have eased her state of mind as she had slept. V could provide little words of comfort.

Komachi was probably curious to hear about what had happened from V's point of view, but she hasn't popped her head into V's homeroom during the lunch break so far. Better to not risk encountering her by not leaving at all. He can provide a meaningful explanation to one of Taishi's treasured friends another time.

Griffon had paid V a short visit before classes started, informing him of Ooka's appointment with Hiratsuka-sensei during the lunch period. They'll have to reconvene and discuss yesterday's events and their next steps at or after the Service Club.

"Even then," the class rep went on cordially, "why not go eat with Hikigaya-san? If I had a girlfriend like that, I'd take every chance to spend time with her between classes."

"You know her?"

"Yeah. Not well, though. My cousin was in the student council with her back in middle school." Morikawa prattled on. V had a feeling the boy hadn't approached him simply for the pleasure of a good conversation. "So, do you wanna eat lunch with the rest of us?" Morikawa soon proposed. He motioned to a corner of the classroom where a group of students had pushed their desks together. They were continually giving V and Morikawa not-so-subtle glances. Nothing too suggestive or insulting that V could hear. Mostly innocent curiosity.

"Always be ready to speak your mind," V quoted, putting aside his book and reaching into his bag for his bento, "and a base man will avoid you."

"Is... that a yes?"

V smiled kindly. "No offense, but I prefer to eat alone."

"Oh, you only eat with someone else if they're a cute girl?" Morikawa teased. "Like your girlfriend and that senpai yesterday?"

"Komachi is merely an acquaintance, nothing more," V corrected as he dug into his food. "That senpai is my sister."

"You mean you aren't dating either of them?"

"No."

"They dating anyone?"

"Not to my knowledge."

The class rep leaned in to whisper, "I know you haven't gotten to know the me or the rest of the class much yet, but how'd you rate our chances?"

Teenage gossip about romantic prospects. V wondered how Dante and Vergil would have handled being teenagers in a typical high school setting. He imagined Dante pestering Vergil for constant assistance on assignments. "My sister is prioritizing family matters and scholarships," V indulged Morikawa's inquiry. "Komachi, you'd have better chances with – if you can get into the good graces of her brother, that is."

"Her brother?" Morikawa became more withdrawn. "I've heard some bad things about him."

"And you've only heard good things about Komachi," V pointed out from Morikawa's dull introduction earlier. "You can only speculate so much and wither away through inaction until you take the initiative and act with conviction."

Morikawa mulled over V's words. V dug into his food while Morikawa pulled out a chocolate bar and chewed methodically. Eventually, the class rep began grinning widely. "You're a pretty thoughtful guy, Kawasaki-san."

"You can call me Taishi."

"Right. You did say that yesterday. Hey, come eat with the rest of us. If we can call you Taishi, then you can call me..."

Morikawa hushed up. Another student walked to them, their shadow hovering over V and his bento. Chewing, V looked up. It was Komachi with an easygoing smile. "Hey, Taishi-kun," she hailed. "You, too, Morikawa-san. Taishi-kun, Saki-chan's calling for you."

Was she now? Odd. If she wanted to talk to him, what was stopping her from visiting him herself?

"Well," Morikawa said, leaning back, "don't let me keep you." He gave a mock salute at V and returned to his group of friends.

He may be another wolf in sheep's clothing among the common herd, so to speak, bearing devilish intentions, or may simply be a friendly classmate. V will have to ask Griffon to check the class rep if he held any demonic power at a later date.

Gathering his belongings, V stood up and tapped his cane against the floor. "Where is she?"

"With onii-chan." Komachi nodded her head toward the door and walked off, with V following close behind. V and surely Komachi as well could feel the eyes on them as they left. Komachi had her popularity in beauty and personality, and V had his unique idiosyncrasies, but neither of them paid any mind to the glances and stares.

"What business with them requires our presence?" V asked Komachi.

She winked and held a finger to her mouth. "You'll see when we get there."

V sighed. That playful attitude... Dante would likely get along swimmingly with her. "Very well."

During their walk, she was oddly quiet. No questions about last night. Perhaps she and nee-chan having already traded messages on their phones quelled her curiosity.

Eventually, V and Komachi came upon a staircase. Komachi gestured for V to go on discreetly. They carefully went down the steps, pausing at the floor above ground level. Below them were Hikigaya and nee-chan sitting at the base of the stairs.

"... can come off as a sis-con yourself," nee-chan said flatly to Hikigaya.

"It's perfectly natural for a good older brother to look after Komachi," Hikigaya said defensively. "Anyway, he's already a member of the Service Club. I can only do so much as a clubmate, and it seemed like he already has Ooka looking out for him."

"I don't know Ooka. I only know that he was also involved with Shiromeguri. I know more about you, and you're a reliable enough guy."

"Well, uh, I'm flattered you think that highly of me," Hikigaya said, "but I really don't see Taishi and I becoming best friends or developing a student-mentor relationship. He's already stopped calling me onii-san. I don't want him to start that up again."

"I'm not asking for something to that extent. I mean... I guess he could use a best friend, but he doesn't have a lot of guy friends in general, especially since he's going to Soubu now. And he's been... different. He needs someone he can relate to and open up to, other than me."

"If you're worried he's getting himself into other trouble, and you don't want to talk to him directly, you can always make an official request to the Service Club, like he had done for you."

"I do want to talk to him, but he's become more closed off." Nee-chan sighed in frustration. "I know he's probably really embarrassed and nervous. That's why he tried to avoid the subject with me and why he barely spoke to our parents when they talked last night. I'm still going to talk to him, but it wouldn't hurt if he opened up to someone else who I know won't be a bad influence on him. Someone like you. If you're willing to help."

Hikigaya provided his own sigh, more out of weariness on his part. "Listen. The most I can promise is to just be attentive when we're dealing with the Service Club and when we're walking him home afterward. I can sympathize wanting to look after a younger sibling without being too intrusive. I... I won't get in the way too much whenever he's chatting with Komachi, either." Hikigaya's voice almost sounded strained at the end there.

"Is it really that difficult for you to let your sister talk with another boy?" V detected sarcasm in nee-chan's tone.

"It's a boy that somehow caught the interest of Shiromeguri-senpai..." V could hear Hikigaya shift his legs and chew loudly on his food. "How did that even happen? Shiromeguri-senpai never seemed like the type of person to..."

"To go around different boys' backs?" nee-chan finished for him. "I don't know. I just hope she stays away from him from now on, and that he stays away from her."

"See? Isn't it reasonable to be cautious and considerate of the people of the opposite gender that hang around your younger sibling?"

A pause followed. "Wait, are you trying to compare Shiromeguri to Komachi?"

"What? No! That's not what I'm trying to do at all!"

"... Were you trying to suggest something about Taishi, then?"

Nee-chan and Hikigaya continued to go back and forth. Komachi elbowed V's side. "I don't know everything that's going on with you," she said quietly and gently. "You don't have to tell me about it, but maybe try to not worry Saki-chan too much."

How compassionate of Komachi, concerned for Taishi and his nee-chan. "It can't be helped," V replied. "I'm sure you worry your brother from time to time."

"It's kinda an onii-san's or onee-san's job to be worried about their younger siblings," Komachi said with a shrug. "The best we can do is try to lessen the worry. Saki-chan doesn't deserve the extra stress, and neither do you."

Nee-chan expressing her consideration was enough for V. Befriending Hikigaya shouldn't be necessary. V will just have to convince her that Griffon was an acceptable friend, if a little too outspoken, to have around. Perhaps that can ease her state of mind.

V can't let Taishi's affection for his loved ones and V's own longing for such things further seriously cloud his judgement, like how he had embarrassingly acted on the first day at Soubu with nee-chan. He had to be stronger, more disciplined than that.

"I'll try to assuage nee-chan's disconcertment," V said. "To be perfectly honest, however, I don't see Hikigaya and I opening up to one another."

"To be honest, neither do I," Komachi conceded. "It'd be convenient, though. Then maybe onii-chan could start making more progress with Saki-chan."

Ah, that's right. From what V has seen and what he could recount from Taishi's memories, nee-chan held romantic feelings for Hikigaya. Taishi and Komachi didn't talk about it very often, owing partly to Taishi's adolescent embarrassment at bringing up such topics with a girl. "I doubt nee-chan truly has time for a relationship," V said. "I was under the impression that Yuigahama was infatuated with Hikigaya, and that Ooka had been exaggerating when he had referred to the Service Club as Hikigaya's 'after-school harem'."

Komachi covered her face to suppress a snort. Hikigaya and nee-chan didn't seem to hear it, too engrossed in their own conversation. "He said what?"

"Was he not exaggerating?"

"It was more a love triangle in the Service Club, but... but now that I think about it..." Komachi became contemplative, looking lost in thought. "He actually talks to and spends a lot more time with girls than he does with boys." Komachi closed her eyes and shook her head. "And it's still taking him forever to officially stick with one of them. It's their last year at Soubu, too. He really needs to hurry it up."

Playing at matchmaker, is she? V opened his book and found a classic line. "He who desires but acts not," he read, "breeds pestilence." He snapped his book shut. "So it is written."

Komachi keenly looked at V in the eye. "... Maybe you could give him some tips," she said at last.

V wore a benign smile in front of Komachi. "I'm not sure what advice or wisdom he could gain from me. My own romantic venture ended in trauma, emotionally and physically." V ensured to add hints of both melancholy longing and dry humor in his voice.

"You still have more experience than onii-chan." Komachi spoke more slowly. "Onii-chan hasn't been... well... stabbed, but he's been through his own stuff." Komachi became more uncomfortable, unsure how much more she should say. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you guys got to know each other better."

Dropping down from the floor above, a figure plotted his feet on the staircase railing Komachi was leaning against. "Fat chance of that happening," said Griffon. He bent his knees to mimic the pose of a bird perching on a branch.

Komachi shrieked at Griffon's sudden appearance. She jumped but caught herself on the railing from tripping down the stairs. Even so, V extended his cane to block Komachi from falling further. He pushed her upward so she could stand and recompose herself.

"Sorry about scaring ya," Griffon said, grabbing V's arm. "Gotta borrow Taishi for a second."

"What was that?" V heard nee-chan ask loudly before he was dragged down the hall by Griffon.

V let himself be strung along. They made their stop at the same secluded corner between school buildings where they had first reunited yesterday. Griffon gave a cursory scan of their surroundings, ensuring no prying ears or eyes were keeping watch, before turning to V.

"Yamato didn't come to school today," Griffon reported. "I asked around. The rugby team were sent texts from him, but the Hells probably got their hands on his phone. I stopped by Yamato's house this morning, too. Nowhere to be found. Parents don't know a thing."

V took a second gander around them, just as an extra precaution. "Nightmare may be walking on this earth, then," he said. "That would be... worrying." Nightmare's capabilities had far outclassed V's other familiars. For the shadow of Mundus' cruel and heartless creation to be an enemy to a weakened V and Griffon, to call it worrying was an understatement. "In any case, do you have your amulet?"

"Yeah. Right here." Griffon straightened his arm and pointed it downward, letting the item fall out of his sleeve as he caught it in his hand. "I gotta tell ya, I thought about breaking it open and getting me some of that juice inside. I know for sure you know what that kind of desire does to a guy, but after the amulet sealed up, I couldn't sense its demon power anymore, so I thought I'd wait and see what you'd say."

Reaching into a pocket inside his coat, V pulled out his own amulet. He could see no physical differences between it and Griffon's. "The Hells named the amulets 'Proud Souls', I believe. We will proceed cautiously with these. The power they exude may be a deception."

"Oh," Griffon drawled out, "so what you're saying is that mister 'I need more power' doesn't want to take the chance to get more power?"

"As much of a surprise as it may come to you," V said dryly, "I am not the same man as I once was. Moving on, when we visit the Service Club today, we should conjure an excuse to leave and closely examine the Proud Souls."

"Now that's a plan I can get behind!" Griffon said exuberantly, clapping his hands and rubbing his palms together. "We can finally get some shit done!"

Ever the excitable one. "How went your meeting with Hiratsuka-sensei?"

With those words, Griffon's mood worsened. "Eh, just some stock counseling spiel. Nothing important. Not as bad as the lectures Ooka's parents give, but none of it will mean squat once we get back home."

Home... Vergil hadn't had a place to call home in a long time. "Focus on maintaining our human identities and identifying demonic activity," V said. "Fantasize what we'll do once we do regain our old forms later. Now, we should flesh out a consistent story for our false history with Shiromeguri Meguri. Nee-chan deserves a semblance of a good explanation for my behavior."

"Nee-chan? Oh, you mean the Kawasaki chick. You know, V, you could always just play the teenage 'rebel without a cause' route. It's been going pretty well for me so far. I mean, Hiratsuka's a pain, and all of Ooka's friends and family are also kinda a pain but..."

Griffon trailed off, his eyes growing glassy. He abruptly pulled V to stand behind him. Griffon's gaze was drawn to the sky.

"What is it?" V asked.

"Another demon." Griffons snapped his fingers and summoned crackling balls of lightning in his hands. "Not Nevan. Maybe another Hell, or maybe not, but something's coming."

An attack at the school? It may indeed be the Hells, then, considering how they had overexposed themselves at the mall with the Wrath's explosion, attracting the authorities. If not the Hells...

Something flashed before them. Faintly yellow. Too fast for V's human eyes to keep up with. The flashing light dashed all around V and Griffon.

V was reminded of the Fury – a type of demon that had roamed the ruins of Red Grave City. It's teleportation ability and swift reflexes were a force to be reckoned with, but the lightning flashes didn't quite resemble the Fury. This was something else.

Griffon yelped. The flashes ceased as a boy in a Soubu High uniform lifted Griffon up by the neck. Caught off-guard, Griffon was pinned to the wall, dragged against it, and then thrown to the ground. V rammed his cane forward, reminiscent of the classic Stringer sword maneuver. Without being augmented by demon power, however, V had to take a few steps to close the gap.

Those steps, those precious few seconds, were all it took for their new opponent to turn around and choke-slam V against the wall. V lost his breath. Never mind the concussion he probably received on the back of his head. The impact between his spine and the wall invoked the old pains from Taishi's initial stabbing. Though keeping his grip strong on his cane and the Proud Soul, he could no longer feel them in his grasp. Almost everything became numb, all his senses focused on the searing anguish along his back.

The torment spread to V's sternum. He gasped, cried out in agony, as the demonic newcomer impaled something into his torso.

V had also been holding his Proud Soul close to his chest. The demon's weapon went through the jewel, through bone, cloth, and skin. V's hand wasn't spared, with more blood splattering.

Despite all the pain, V could feel fractions of old power being restored in him.

No longer merely human, he could feel pure strength and power flowing through his veins.

This was the power from the Proud Soul, but why was it being restored into V? Was this his attacker's intention? What was being stabbed through the amulet and into V?

On instinct, V formed himself to vanish from sight. He reappeared behind his attacker and swung his cane. The demon fell to its knees, allowing V to capture it in a chokehold, one move away from snapping its neck.

However, the demon disappeared, its form transforming into sporadic yellow light and flashing away.

This was a Blitz, originally a demonic foot solider crafted to serve in Mundus' army. Blind, but all the same deadly and dangerous. Vergil had encountered remnants wandering the city of Fortuna during his excursion to the city, and one of Nico's Devil Breakers for Nero, the Overture, had been crafted from studying the remains of a Blitz.

With his renewed power, now V was able to keep track of the Blitz's rapid movements. The Blitz landed a short distance away. It straightened its arms, pressed his thumbs together, and fired a scorching beam of electricity. To avoid being shocked or fried, V ran up the wall. Before the Blitz could bring its beam attack upward, Griffon – having ran up the wall opposite V – kicked himself off and tackled the Blitz.

Whilst grappling the demon, the Blitz's arms were separated, causing the energy beam to dissipate. Despite this, the Blitz was not devoid of further power. Its own and Griffon's lightning clashed against each other until an explosion sent them both flying away from one another.

The form of the Blitz, with its tattered uniform and adolescent body, shifted into an unnatural white silhouette. It maintained its human shape and face, but the color change signified its vulnerability after receiving enough damage from a familiar. A single killing blow, from V's cane or some other outside non-familiar source, was all that was needed to finish the Blitz off now.

V teleported again – or "tricked" again, as was Vergil's private nickname for his teleportation ability – behind the Blitz. He simply held his cane up, intending to let the Blitz fly into it without V exerting much energy.

Unfortunately, even in its weakened state, the demon morphed into lightning and zipped pass V.

Odd. The lightning was no longer yellow. It was red, which usually denoted the Blitz losing self-control and engaging in suicidal attacks, yet instead, the demon was retreating. V watched the lightning zip away, moving around the corner and up one of the nearby school buildings. V made to follow, but the Blitz soon disappeared from sight. In moments, V could also no longer sense its presence.

"Get back here, you –" V used his cane to stop Griffon from hastily chasing after the Blitz.

"It's gone," V said. He looked again at their surroundings. No witnesses, thankfully, but students would likely by roaming, returning to class as the lunch hour inched closer to its end. Some may have even heard the crackling of lightning exchanged between the Blitz and Griffon. "We must follow, try to find his trail, but with caution."

"I – I gotcha V, and I wanna catch him as much as the next guy, but… uh… you're kinda conspicuous with the blood on your chest."

Blood? What...

The wound on V's chest had already healed, but a notable section of his shirt was splashed with the red susbtance. Normally, such stains would naturally disappear over time, owing to a demon's ability to alter his basic appearance. Unfortunately, when V tried to will his shirt to be cleansed, nothing happened. It remained drenched, though at least the pain was more or less gone. V's wounds on his hand and his chest were healed, and the Proud Soul's jewel was already stitching together the cracks wrought by the Blitz.

V buttoned up his uniform jacket. Though it hid the blood, it was only a temporary solution. "Do not lower your guard," V told Griffon before leading him back inside the school. V walked briskly but still made a show of using his cane. "The hunt for the Blitz will have to wait. We will switch shirts and maintain discretion to the best of our ability."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I'm a size or two bigger than you, skinny."

"It doesn't matter. There must be a reason for the Blitz to somehow restore a portion of my power. It and any accomplices it may have may be trying to draw us out, expose ourselves and attract the eye of the common human." V and Griffon passed by other students, so V lowered his voice and Griffon walked more closely to him. "Can you afford to skip class for the next period? Or will the disciplinary consequences for skipping cause too much of an inconvenience for Ooka?"

"Why you asking? We gonna go fishing for any fiends floating around?"

"Indeed, we are."

They redressed themselves and washed up at a secluded restroom. Griffon took V's soiled shirt stained in dry blood and stuffed it in his book bag, intending to wash it and return it at another time. Griffon also put on a hooded sweatshirt to replace his collared dress shirt. By the time they were presentable, the lunch hour was just about ending.

V returned to his classroom. He eyed at his classmates resettling in their seats, continuing to converse quietly as they waited for the teacher to return. V's gaze hardened as he failed to spot one particular student.

Coming to the nearest desk, V hit a leg with his cane. "Pardon me," V said to the unassuming boy. He was slightly startled with his conversation with a girl sitting beside him interrupted.

"Oh, uh, is there something you need?" the boy asked nervously.

"Where is the class rep?" V inquired.

"Morikawa-san?" The student shook his head. "I'm not sure. He left the classroom around the same time you did. Weird that he isn't back yet, but –"

The sensei entered the room from the other entrance down the hall. He called for the class to settle for the next lecture to begin.

V looked over his shoulder and waved a hand at Griffon, who was waiting in the hall. Luckily, with some of V's power restored, a few facets of the familiar contract were also restored. As V returned to his seat, he telepathically ordered Griffon to look for Morikawa. Griffon nodded and went on his way.

The Blitz's human host was bigger and taller than Morikawa, easily a different person entirely at first glance, but the class rep was a potential lead V couldn't afford to ignore.

X

In front of the door to the Service Club, V stood across from nee-chan and engaged in a stare down with her. Nee-chan frowned. V smiled politely.

"Our parents are letting you stay in the Service Club," nee-chan said to V, "but the Hikigayas are walking you home. Don't try to use club requests as an excuse for staying out before your curfew."

"Duly noted," V said. He moved to knock on the door, but nee-chan spoke further.

"Make sure you guys get home quickly. Don't make any unnecessary stops." And don't chance or risk running into Shiromeguri or the renegade gang members still out on the streets, was the unspoken message between the lines. Kaa-san and tou-san had already made their new rules regarding V's extracurriculars after school quite clear.

V should really repay kaa-san and tou-san for the trust they were putting in their son, allowing him to continue to serve in the Service Club instead of being grounded at home. He would also have to put more effort in restoring nee-can's trust in young Taishi.

"I promise to abide by what our parents have set for me," V reassured. "Remember to look out for yourself, as well." Nee-chan was to accompany a group of students that had been in the same class as her last year. As fate would have it, they were the same clique Ooka and Yamato were members of. The group would escort each of their members home.

"I'll be fine," nee-chan said. "It's you I'm worried about."

"Of course, you'd think as such..." V reached into his pocket. Taking a deep breath, he planned on reciting another poem, but now he realized doing so would only be for his own benefit and wouldn't earn any favor with nee-chan. Changing tactics, V said, "I had promised to show you the memento Meguri had stolen from me. Hadn't I?"

V presented Griffon's Proud Soul to nee-chan. She gave it a scrutinizing stare. "Did Shiromeguri give you that?"

"No. This amulet was a gift from a far more respectable woman." V channeled his recollections of Eva as he gazed at the amulet, facsimile as it may be. "She was like kaa-san. Caring, courageous... but a tad more lenient. More attentive, though to be fair, she didn't have four children and a workaholic husband to concern herself over."

Nee-chan wore a cool expression, frowning, but stoic enough that all V could say for certain was that she wasn't particularly feeling positive about anything. "Another girlfriend?"

"No," V answered. "Not at all. She was a mother... A teacher of mine during my elementary school days." The lies woven with genuine emotion became easier to conjure the more V spoke them. "I was acquainted with her sons. A rambunctious pair, but good at heart, for the most part."

Taishi did indeed have childhood friends who happened to be twins. They and their family had moved out of Chiba during the first year of middle school. Nee-chan appeared to recall them. "The Kamiya boys? Didn't you used to share your lunch with them?"

"Indeed. They were good friends. Their mother happened to be a jeweler with fine craftsmanship and had gifted us three with these amulets. A symbol of our friendship, I suppose."

Nee-chan took a moment to gather her thoughts. "Shiromeguri had three of them, but she said they were for you and those other two guys." Those other two guys being Ooka and Yamato. V remembered.

"Ownership of the amulets had fallen to me after the Kamiyas'... departure." Nee-chan can fill in the gaps on what exactly happened to the twins herself. He'll answer if she asked, but V didn't want to overcomplicate the narrative. "Meguri had intended for me to share the amulets with her, Yamato, and Ooka. It was only after she had broken things off with us that we realized what a vile swindler she was." V looked at his reflection on the red jewel. Hardly any resemblance with the profile of a son of Sparda.

In the corner of his vision, V could see nee-chan's aloof countenance relax. Her little brother was speaking truthfully now, which was evidently all she had wanted from Taishi – aside from his continued health, of course. "I hope you learned your lesson," she said seriously but not unkindly, "to be more careful about who you associate with."

"A hard lesson learned," V agreed, "but learned nonetheless." He held the Proud Soul forward. "Ooka and Yamato have reclaimed their amulets, but I would like you to have mine." Nee-chan wasn't one to fashion herself with jewelry, but V's intent should be clear.

Wordlessly, nee-chan stepped forward and took the Proud Soul from V's grasp. She appraised it shortly before looking back at V. "I never knew you had these things, or how much they meant to you."

V shrugged. "The Kamiyas were good people. It's only fair for me to take good care of their gifts. Their mother had held a righteous sense of justice, like another sharp, respectable woman I know." V added the latter compliments purely because Taishi's usual method of getting on another's good side was brownnosing. Providing nee-chan some familiarity of her real brother wouldn't hurt. "If only..."

If only nee-chan had met her, V wanted to say, but his thoughts wanderer to his real mother. If only Sparda had not left, or if Eva had... If Mundus had never... If Vergil had... Too many what-ifs.

"You would have liked her, nee-chan," V said with a sorrowful smile.

He was surprised when nee-chan responded by wrapping him in a hug. It took a moment, but he followed Taishi's instincts to return the embrace.

"You are not alone, Taishi," she said. "I'm here. Kaa-san is here, and so is tou-san if you ask for him. Komachi, too, and the Service Club once you get to know them better. It's fine to keep things to yourself, but not if you bottle things up so much and try to pretend that everything is okay."

Truth be told, Taishi had few memories of feeling so alone that he couldn't confide in his family or friends about his troubles.

Regardless, V did not stray away from their embrace.

"I'm not pretending –" V began before getting cut off.

"You've been lying and keeping secrets. You almost died, twice now."

"But I didn't die." V felt himself hold on to nee-chan tighter. "I've healed. I'm still alive. I'm in control. I have to be."

"Why do you have to be in control?"

"Control means power, and without power, you can't protect anything, let alone yourself."

Nee-chan strengthened her hold on V. "Is that supposed to be a line from your book? Don't hide behind fancy words. Just because you think you should be 'in control' or whatever, doesn't mean me or the rest of your family are going to stop worrying about you. We trust each other and help each other, like we promised."

Just like Dante, trying to talk sense into his foolish brother.

In time, V and nee-chan stepped away from each other. Nee-chan kept her hands on V's shoulders. "Do you want to go home early?" she asked. "Skip the Service Club? You don't have to attend today. They'll understand."

"No. You still have your scholarship to work on, and I'd... I'd like to walk home with Komachi and Hikigaya. But when I do get home... I could tell you about how Meguri and I met, explain exactly what happened." V attempted a grin.

"If it makes you feel better." Nee-chan matched V's smile.

"It'd be nice to get a second opinion on what had occurred, from someone not blinded by Meguri's charm."

"Sure... Stay safe."

"You, too."

With Griffon's Proud Soul in hand, nee-chan turned away and made her exit.

Griffon was to shadow nee-chan and ensure her safety, in case the Blitz, the Hells, or any other demons aware of her relationship with V targeted her. Meanwhile, V with his Proud Soul remained at the school. There were enough teachers and students – witnesses – at school after classes ended to deter further attacks. If any demons were bold enough to attack regardless, V at least had enough power to make a hasty retreat.

Upon reflection, this encounter with nee-chan was another less than ideal performance on V's part, letting Taishi take a little too much control, but it was at least constructive in mending some fences with nee-chan.

V faced the door. He waited until nee-chan's footsteps faded and silence filled his ears, though V was well aware of one of his clubmates kneeling against the other side of the door. "Should I knock?" he asked aloud. "Or will you be so kind to open the door for me?"

After a short, noiseless pause, Komachi slid the door open. She had the decency to look ashamed. Behind her, the rest of the Club were seated at the table. With teacups in their hand, they glanced at V before averting their eyes.

"Sorry," Komachi said, truly apologetic for eavesdropping. "You two weren't exactly trying to keep quiet."

"Don't worry. We only have ourselves to blame, not minding our surroundings." V stepped inside the club room. "Good afternoon, everyone."

They surely have questions about last night's events. It was only fair for V to provide them.


	9. 09: Under Watch

"Before I forget," V said as he pulled out the piece of paper he had been using as a bookmark, "I bring a gift from Kei-chan for you, Hikigaya." V approached the table and handed him Kei-chan's animal drawing. "Haa-chan the Halibut, she named it."

Hikigaya held the drawing and smiled at it. Komachi took a peek at it. As brother and sister cherished Kei-chan's present, V turned to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. "Now, I'd like to thank the club for the services provided. I doubt there'd have been other opportune moments for Ooka or myself to confront Meguri and retrieve our stolen property. The excursion to the mall ultimately proved fruitful, so I'd like to express my appreciation for the club accompanying us."

Yuigahama nodded absently at V's words as she silently sipped her tea. Yukinoshita sat with a straightened back and her arms crossed, a regal outlook about her. "The Service Club is happy for a client's request to be fulfilled to their satisfaction," she said, "but it would be inaccurate to say the Club truly fulfilled your request. Despite joining you at the arcade, we were unable to locate Shiromeguri-senpai or convince her to return your belongings. You had done that on your own."

"Be that as it may, you still helped facilitate my encounter with her. My parents and nee-chan would have likely forbidden me from seeking her out, so the Club's assistance was key in reobtaining our amulets." V's Proud Soul was currently resting around his neck, though the amulet's gem was tucked underneath his shirt.

Yukinoshita was not appeased. "Does Ooka-san feel the same? Is he attending the club today?"

"No." V sat down and poured himself his own cup of tea. "He's still sorting out his own conflicted feelings. Hopefully, he won't make it a habit to skip."

"But will it be a habit for you to misdirect us to fulfill your own agenda, just as you had misdirected us and your sister yesterday?" V rose an eyebrow at the question. Yukinoshita went on. "You weren't entirely truthful or forthcoming with us. You neglected to tell us about the delinquents threatening you and Shiromeguri-senpai, or that you and your associates were willing to engage them in violence. It would be remiss of me to fault you for defending yourself when attacked, but if you had anticipated a deadly fight to break out during our search, we should have been informed. You needn't have separated from the rest of the group, and the proper authorities could have been contacted before anyone was hurt."

"Ooka and I had not set out to directly confront those delinquents when we had made our request," V said as an excuse.

"But you knew of the risk." The sharp look in Yukinoshita's eyes held an intensity to it that Taishi would find quite intimidating. Not quite as effective as nee-chan's, however.

"I held vague suspicions, nothing more."

"You were stabbed once already," Hikigaya stated flatly, after he set aside Kei-chan's gift. His voice was a tad dull, as if trying to sound unperturbed, but V could tell that Hikigaya was intentionally avoiding directly looking at him. Komachi attempted kicking her brother's knee for his bluntness.

"I hadn't presumed a fight would be instigated in a public place while there was still daylight," V said.

"Evidently, your presumption proved false," Yukinoshita countered, continuing to give V a scrutinizing glare. "As much as we may loathe it, the Service Club has come to tolerate some of Hikigaya-kun's crass and inappropriate behavior. Don't assume our leniency extends to you, Taishi-kun, regardless of your injuries. Carelessness and recklessness are unbecoming traits for you to portray. After considerations were made, you are allowed to remain a member of our club, but we expect less delinquent-like conduct for the duration of your membership."

She was treating yesterday's events quite seriously. If he was to take advantage of the Service Club to the fullest possible extent, V will have to take more measured approaches when maneuvering around her.

"I apologize for my carelessness, then." V stood up and bowed accordingly. "It was never my intention to endanger you, myself, or anyone else for that matter. So long as I am a member of the Service Club, I promise to be honest and transparent with the requests I bring to the club and what services I supply to the club." Raising his head, V offered a playful smirk. "For the most part."

"The most part?"

V opened his book. "Lawless they liv'd – till wantonness, and liberty began t'increase," he read. "And one man lay in another's way. Then laws were made to keep fair play."

From the look on her face, Yukinoshita wasn't impressed or amused by the quote. Regardless, she said, "So long as you understand the severity of your actions."

The killing intent she was displaying was admirable. V feigned nervousness, as if finally cowed by the strict lecture and the warning in her words as he lay back against his chair, and drank his tea.

After a short, awkward silence, Yuigahama soon spoke up. "Are you okay, Taishi-kun?" Yukinoshita was cold. The Hikigaya siblings were withdrawn. Yuigahama was... jumpy. "Uh, physically, health-wise I mean. Ooka seemed okay today, but what about you?"

"I'm getting by."

"But, your neck. There was –"

"You caught a glimpse of me being treated last night, yes? It was just a flesh wound, easily healed, as you can see."

Yukinoshita spoke again. "A doctor at the hospital treated you after the paramedic gave you an initial diagnosis?"

"There was no need. My injuries were only superficial in nature. Another visit at the hospital was unnecessary." V eyed Yuigahama. She was unable to sit still, fidgeting. "If any of you have any other questions concerning last night's events, I'll do my best to –"

"How did you and Shiromeguri-senpai meet?" Yuigahama spouted. She quickly lost her fire, however. "I mean, how did you two... Why did she..."

Though a false backstory was fabricated, V was still unsure of all the details of the actual truth. V began to search for an appropriate poem to recite.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Hikigaya said as V flipped between pages, "but you don't have to hide behind your poetry and confuse Yuigahama just to avoid giving an answer."

"I'm not that slow, Hikki," Yuigahama said, sounding exhausted.

"And not at all my intention," V added.

Yukinoshita shook her head, expressing her disapproval by V's guess. "Forgive Hikigaya-kun for underestimating and misjudging people's intelligence and intent. Komachi-chan, you have my sympathies."

Annoyed, Hikigaya let out a groan. "Is this going to be the new trend in the Service Club? Switching between grilling me and Taishi?"

Komachi snickered at that comment. "Sounds like fun."

V shared in the soft laughter, giving his own chuckle. "I'm sure we can find time to grill the rest of the club aside from Hikigaya and myself." V leaned back, staring vaguely at the ceiling. "Concerning your questions, Yuigahama..." A little rehearsal before V spoke with nee-chan about Taishi's and Meguri's first meeting shouldn't hurt. "It was a night like any oth–"

Demons were nearby.

Cutting himself off, V's eyes darted to the clubroom entrance. His demonic power pulsated briefly through him. He sensed demons out in the hall. V detected them too suddenly. They must have suppressed their presence and were now revealing themselves. Instinctively, V wished to summon Griffon, but V fought against the feeling. Better to properly gauge the threat before making use of his true abilities in front of the Service Club.

"Yahallo!" greeted Nevan, wearing her scarf, as she slid the door open. She marched on and waved a hand, a wide smile gracing her lips.

She was accompanied by the class rep, Morikawa Tomoyuki, from Taishi's class.

But as Morikawa was no longer shrouding his presence, and with V's demonic power expanding his senses, V could see the class rep for who and what he really was. Underneath the shell of an otherwise common human was a being of great prowess and renown that had once been left alone and forgotten in the ancient castle sitting atop Mallet Island.

The Spirit of Lightning: Alastor.

Neither V nor Vergil had been given the pleasure of personally meeting and speaking with the acclaimed Thunder Devil, but among the dark memories of Nelo Angelo were scenes of the Black Angel trading blows with his greatsword against Alastor's Devil Arm form wielded by Dante.

Those memories brought an... unpleasantness to V's constitution. He looked away and rubbed his forehead. At this close distance to the demons, with them no longer bothering to mask their familiar if diluted power, the unpleasantness only worsened. Though Alastor wasn't generating any lightning, V could feel the hairs on his skin stand up. V's body shook slightly, forced to remember the edges of Alastor's blade chipping away at Nelo Angelo's armor. Forced to briefly relive those moments of shameful defeat by Dante's hand.

"What evil lurks," V said before lifting his head, glaring at Alastor, "I must destroy."

Alastor greeted him with a smile, serving to only remind V further of Dante. V felt conflicted feelings of returning the smile and the compulsion to permanently erase. However, Nevan spoke before V could act on those feelings.

"I was angry with my friend," she recited, shining her usual seductive smile. "I told my wrath. My wrath did end. I was angry with my foe..."

"I told it not," V finished the stanza, "my wrath did grow."

Why was Nevan so knowledgeable of William Blake's work? It can't solely be her interest in a partial son of Sparda like V.

Her Devil Arm form was that of a demonic guitar. Perhaps she happened to appreciate the artistic merit in poetry, as well.

Once the shock of seeing their former Student Council President wavered, the members of the Service Club began giving V strange looks. Understandable, given the words he just uttered.

… How was he to justify threatening his classmate?

"Good to see you, too, Taishi," Alastor said happily. He looked to the rest of the club. "Nice to meet you all. I'm Morikawa Tomoyuki. I'm the class rep in Taishi's homeroom…"

As Alastor's words trailed off, he began to pace back and forth, all the while eyeing V. Those movements were… like staring into the past.

"This stinking hole was the last place that I thought I'd find anyone with some guts," Alastor said, in an obvious impression of Dante.

Those were the first words Dante had uttered to Nelo Angelo, when Dante had not yet caught on to the Black Angel's true identity.

Guided by pure instinct, not by his conscious choice, V raised himself from his seat and tightened his grip on his cane. The demonic energy flowing through him yearned to be released, to be used in combat against a dastardly devil that had helped bring about so much pain and devastation to a blessed follower of the great and powerful Prince of Dark–

No! Vergil was a slave of Mundus no longer! V shut those thoughts away, these deceptive instincts. Some fears may persist, but V had already fought and conquered Vergil's nightmares wrought by Mundus long ago. He had –

Alastor was laughing. He was laughing as he draped his arm around V's shoulders. Any threat of violence V had sensed from him prior had... not quite disappeared, but lessened significantly.

"Almost tripped over your own two feet right there, Taishi," Alastor said jokingly. "You've gotten sloppy since the last time we've done this skit. You remembered the lines but hardly any of the posing or footwork."

"Skit?" someone from the Service Club asked. V couldn't tell which. He was preoccupied on regaining his faculties and on paying mind to Alastor and Nevan.

"Yeah. You can call us chuunibyou or whatever the term is, but we used to play out these kinds of things all the time back in the day. It's nice to see Taishi hasn't totally forgotten the swing of things after so long."

It wasn't forgetfulness that was V's problem. The familiarity of dark memories, a picture perfected with precision thanks to his demonic power, was loosening his self-control. V will have to pay more attention to such things, just as he had to be wary of Taishi's remnant emotional impulses.

"Shiromeguri-senpai," Yukinoshita greeted, more reactionary rather than consciously trying to give a polite greeting. Her cold demeanor from earlier gave way to light astonishment at Nevan's arrival. Yukinoshita was not at all expecting her.

"Yukino-chan," Nevan returned, eyeing Yukinoshita from head to toe. Nevan winked. "You haven't changed much." Nevan's gaze lingered on Yuigahama and Hikigaya. After shortly examining them, she giggled to herself. "Looks like the Service Club hasn't changed too much."

"Hasn't it?" Alastor asked. He patted V's back as he released him and went to pull up another chair to the table. V supported himself with his cane to remain standing. "Taishi and Hikigaya-chan have joined up since you left Soubu."

"True." Nevan's predatory leer was trained on Komachi and V now. Komachi squirmed in her seat. "You've got a cute sister, Hachi-kun. And you're doing a fine job taking care of yourself, Taishi-kun." Nevan took a step forward.

Hikigaya stood up from his chair and cut in between them, keeping Nevan from nearing any further toward V.

"Eager for your own turn, Hachi-kun?" Nevan said in a seductive tone.

"Maybe keep your distance," Hikigaya said nervously, clearly uncomfortable. Was it because of Nevan's proximity to him? Meguri's inconsistent behavior compared to how she once acted prior to Nevan possessing her body? In all likelihood, it was probably a combination of both. "Taishi didn't seem too comfortable with you yesterday."

"And you're comfortable enough with me?"

"Tone it down, Meguri," Alastor said goodheartedly. He set his chair backwards so that when he sat down, he rested his arms and his chin on the top of the backrest. "It's not that kind of service that this club is about. Remember?"

Nevan let out a dramatic sigh. "Don't I know it. If you guys had just moved on into the Student Council, then this club could have –"

"What business brings you here, Shiromeguri-senpai?" Yukinoshita asked sharply. "Do you have a pass to be on school grounds? If you're here solely for Taishi-kun, then I must ask you to leave."

"Taishi-kun's only a happy bonus," Nevan said. She went to retrieve her own chair. She held up her school pass as she did so. "I have others things to do here at Soubu, but I'm making time to support Tomo-kun."

With Nevan distancing herself, Hikigaya leaned slightly down to whisper in Taishi's ear. "Are we going to be fine with Shiromeguri here? You seem to know her better than the rest of us, but I've got a bad feeling about this."

Hikigaya had good instincts. With V's temperament now under control, V reassured him. "I suspect she yearns to be friend, not foe."

Encountering three demons today whose core abilities revolved around lightning couldn't be happenstance. "I don't want us to be enemies," Nevan had told V last night. Perhaps the Blitz's attack earlier was an excuse for the demon to satisfy its lust for battle while also bestowing V and Griffon some of their old power. Even so, V couldn't discount the possibility that Nevan and her ilk were in fact enemies.

"She would be a useful ally," V added quietly, "although I wouldn't recommend taking her as a lover."

"Now you're just being unfair," Nevan called out to him. Her hearing was quite sharp. As she brought her chair over, V grabbed his own and set it to the other side of the table. Hikigaya also returned to his seat.

Komachi was still restless with Nevan smiling at her. V rested a hand on Komachi's shoulder. "Relax," he said to her. V returned Nevan's smile, leading the she-devil off Komachi and to focus intently on him. "She won't bite."

Naturally, Nevan offered a toothy grin in response. "Play your cards right, and I just might."

"Mind your manners, Meguri. We're in a school setting, after all."

"If this scene's so boring, then we can skip the club and head home together."

"I believe Tomoyuki has come here bearing a request." V fetched another pair of teacups and poured their guests their drinks before sitting down between Komachi and Hikigaya. "It would be rude of me to leave the club early and not lend an ear to his plight."

"Tomo-kun's no stranger to disappointment. Neither am I, nor you, but Tomo-kun slept soundly last night. The rest of the club can service him well enough. After the effort we put in, a walk along between you and I would surely ease our spirits."

V flicked open his book. "And because I am happy and dance and sing, they think they have done me no injury,"

"And are gone to praise God and his priest and king," Nevan continued, "who make up a heaven of our misery."

Interrupting the banter, Yuigahama blurted out, "Aren't you two just flirting?"

V shrugged. What a childish outburst, something the likes of Griffon would probably say. It couldn't be helped for flirtations to follow when conversing with an individual like Nevan.

"Old habits die hard, I'm guessing?" Komachi remarked distractedly.

"Sounds like it to me!" Alastor said loudly. He glanced at Nevan with a sharp gleam in his eye. "Like I said, tone it down." Nevan offered Alastor her own dangerous glare without dropping her smile.

They were co-conspirators, but not on the best of terms. Or perhaps the hostility was a regular facet of their working dynamic. V wasn't sure which was the right interpretation.

"Morikawa-san," Yukinoshita said, breaking the sudden tension between the demons before it could grow any larger. "You had a request?"

"Yup!" Alastor straightened his back, drumming his hands against the backrest of his chair. "Meguri here told me about how the Service Club helped the current Student Council Prez get elected. I'm aiming to get myself elected into that position sometime this year. I was wondering if the Club can offer some tips, give any suggestions how to build up my rep and get my name out there."

V recalled Taishi having participated in a brainstorming session with nee-chan, Hikigaya, and others concerning the election last year. "Did Meguri not provide adequate advice?" V asked.

"Oh, she gave plenty, but Meguri was a popular girl in her heyday. Plenty knew her name or recognized her look, had a senpai or two looking after her. I'm new blood at Soubu. I thought being a class rep would help, but to be honest, that job's boiling down to me being a glorified delivery boy for the sensei."

"You guys did so well for Iroha-kun," Nevan complimented, twirling a finger through a strand of her hair. "With all of you working together, I expect to see Tomo-kun running Soubu the next time I a pay a visit."

"That will depend heavily on Morikawa-san's own capability," Yukinoshita said. She had regained her composure and was coolly staring at Nevan. "Are you... taking care of yourself, Shiromeguri-senpai? After the ordeal last night..."

Nevan never lost her smile. "It wasn't a very nice look for a pretty girl like me. Shame on you, Yukino-chan, for reminding me."

"My apologies." The apology sounded like a mere formality. "In any case, if you have already imparted what knowledge you could onto Morikawa-san, then I recommend you leave and attend to your other business you mentioned."

"I suppose I will." Nevan leaned forward and propped her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her palm. "Take better care of yourself, V. A good devil like you should know better."

V could feel Nevan extend her shadows from her feet. While the Service Club had their attention drawn to their guests, V observed the shadows on the floor encircle him. In response, he stomped his cane down with an audible echo throughout the room. Though not channeling his own precious power while carrying out the motion, the shadows were promptly retracted by Nevan.

She was certainly too much of a tease. It was a boon for nee-chan to be absent today.

All eyes were trained on V now after the noise he made. "It's a learning process," V said, using a threatening tone. "Best be on your way, Lightning Witch."

Without another word, Nevan gently caressed the side of Alastor's face, an action he neglected to react to, before heading to the door. She gave another wink as a farewell.

Despite that, V could still sense her waiting in the hall. Footsteps could be heard, likely made by her shadow, to simulate her departure.

"... I'm sensing some sensitive history between the club and Meguri," Alastor soon said. He must be well aware on the details behind that if he and Nevan were accomplices, but he must be playing his role as young Morikawa Tomoyuki.

"How do you know her, Morikawa-san?" Komachi asked. Her posture was calm now with Nevan's absence. She was the only one of the Service Club who visibly relaxed after Nevan left.

"She's a friend of a friend, with that friend being a pal of V's." Dante, presumably, or perhaps Sparda.

Hikigaya was still staring at the door long after Nevan had made her exit. "What's with the nicknames?" he asked.

"It's part of our skits," Alastor answered excitedly. "If you like, you can call me Thunder Devil."

"Morikawa-san," Yukinoshita spoke, all professional now, "concerning your request, why do you want to become the Student Council President? What are your reasons?"

A fine goal for a freshman high school student, but a rather mundane aspiration for a devil of Alastor's caliber.

Alastor did not reply to Yukinoshita's query. He continued to talk with fondness about the "skits" nonsense. "I should mention that Thunder Devil's not so much a nickname. V is Taishi's nickname, if horribly unoriginal. Not to sound pretentious or anything, but Thunder Devil and Lightning Witch are more like titles. Or codenames."

"Morikawa-san," she said again, losing patience. Alastor was undeterred.

"We've got titles for a lot of folks. Ooka's is Clipped Vulture. Yamato's – a confusing name, by the way, V – is Suffering Fantasy. He and Taishi met another one of our pals today, Overture Exploder. There are also a couple others walking around that we know of. Infernal Twister, Death Void, Marauding Steel, Ice Guardian – Oh, and a piece of advice to you guys: try not to piss off Fire Devil if you run into him. He's the kind of devil that can hold onto a grudge for the longest time."

Yuigahama found time to whisper into Komachi's ear. "He's acting a little creepy, kinda like chuuni-chan."

"You came here to ask a request of the Service Club," Yukinoshita said strictly to Alastor, "not ramble on about these titles to us. If you don't wish to receive a consultation, then you may leave."

"You haven't decided on a title for yourself, V," Alastor said, content and joyful as ever. There was an almost feral look in his eyes now. Deeply eager and excited, but for what? "Any preferences? I'm a little partial to 'Broken Slayer' for you. I think it fits, considering the things you've gone through after everything on the Temen-ni-gru, the Underworld, and Mallet Island... after Mundus."

Mundus. Speaking that name aloud was the trigger. Not for V to react in anger and fury, or for Alastor to lunge in for the kill. No, after that dreaded name left Alastor's tongue, what felt like an earthquake shook the room. Shook the entire building.

Yukinoshita and Yuigahama clutched on one another. Hikigaya wrapped his arms around the edges of the table to not fall over. Komachi slid out of her seat and landed on her bottom.

V slapped his cane against one of Hikigaya's arms. As Hikigaya reeled back at the sting and was shaken off his own chair, V kicked the table forward to ram into Alastor. Everyone's tea went flying. With the seamless style all too reminiscent of Dante, Alastor ducked under the table and somersaulted in the air. He landed right side up with the table hitting the other end of the room, all the while Alastor remained in his chair. V wanted to press on his attack, but the quake forced him to prioritize maintaining his bearings.

Then, some dark, gurgling sludge rose up from the floor. The black ooze materialized abruptly, with no discernible origin. The muck surrounded every person in the room. Using his chair for leverage, V hopped off to avoid getting entrapped in the gunk. His clubmates were not as agile or fortunate. The sludge covered their bodies entirely. Where four young high schoolers once resided were now wide and high piles of demonic fluid.

Alastor was, of course, unharmed.

V prepared himself to summon Griffon, but he stayed his hand. There must have been some barrier established by Alastor or Nevan which had prevented V from sensing this earlier, but now... through his own empowered senses and with his own eyes, he could recognize exactly the thing that has enveloped the rest of the Service Club.

"They should be fine," Alastor said, still sitting lackadaisically on his chair. "Mostly. Might be going through some bad dreams. We'll need your help if we're going to wake them up and stop Nightmare."


	10. Special 01: Tough Guys

**The first "Special" entry. Takes place in the future, some time after the previous chapter. I originally wanted to post Chapter 10, but with writer's block on that end, here's this chapter.**

**Reminder that "trick" typically refers to "teleport" depending on the context.**

**X**

V drank from his can of MAX Coffee once more. It was still too sweet for his liking. None of the other foods or drinks he has had today have managed to balance out the taste. If Komachi or nee-chan had any hope of their dear Taishi bonding with Hikigaya over a shared love of MAX Coffee, they would be sorely disappointed.

"Tai-kun," said Kei-chan whilst still chewing her food. She leaned over their table and reached for her box of apple juice, just out of her grasp. Her other hand, holding her half-finished biscuit, was shaking erratically as she struggled to claim her drink. Crumbs began flying in all directions. "Thirsty."

Kei-chan can be a careless eater at times, V reflected fondly. Even Dante at this age knew better.

Glancing around the café, V spotted a server holding a plate of drinks coming their way. Discreetly, V placed his MAX Coffee on the tray and filched a fresh cup of water, with the waitress none the wiser. V downed the water to be rid of the sweet taste on his tongue. As the server passed by again, to fetch a customer another cup of water, V swiped a few spare napkins from the server's pocket.

V placed a hand on Kei-chan's shoulder to keep her steady and from making a fuss. "Patience," V said pointedly. Kei-chan stopped shaking and let him wipe away the crumbs that were sticking around her face and over her clothes, though she was pouting all the while. When V brought Kei-chan her drink, she clasped the box with her free hand and sipped from the straw.

Done with his own meal, V gazed through the window and stared absently at the rest of the mall.

Today was only the second time has visited the venue, the first being his first outing with the Service Club. From where V sat, he could even see the arcade where he, Komachi, Griffon, and Yuigahama had entertained a few rounds in a fighting game prior to the discovery of Nevan.

V clutched at the Proud Soul hanging off his neck, the memories still quite vibrant as when they had happened in real-time. Much has happened since then, and there was still much to be done.

At least for today, however, V was gifted a reprieve from all that devilish business.

V could feel Kei-chan pull at his sleeve. "I'm done," she said. After giving her one glance, he gave her a clean napkin. She unfolded it and crumpled it against her face.

Twirling his cane around, V jabbed it against the floor, propping him up to his feet. Standing tall, he extended his hand for Kei-chan to take. She grabbed on, discarding the napkin to grab the plastic bag containing their plunder from today's endeavors. Seeing Kei-chan adequately clean of stains and crumbs, V led the way out.

"Are we going home now?" Kei-chan asked as they walked pass other mall-goers.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go to?"

She pondered on her answer. "Get something for kaa-chan and tou-chan, too? And the lil' ones?"

"We already gave them something with nee-chan. Remember?" V stilled owed Komachi for assisting them on that front.

"But they already ate it all."

"I don't think we can find time today to concoct another batch of cookies." Or to purchase the necessary ingredients. Kaa-san, tou-san, and nee-chan have all been too busy to go on a shopping run and replenish their culinary supplies, and V was low on funds as it was now to spend even more.

"So we buy instead of bake," Kei-chan suggested.

"As much as I loathe to admit it, I'm not made of money."

"Haa-chan and the Club can help."

"Again, no time. They have other obligations. Other things to do today."

"Oh, then can Griffy visit and help?"

V chuckled. Nee-chan mostly respected the seemingly unlikely friendship between Taishi and Ooka, and it was a nice surprise of Griffon and Kei-chan taking a liking to each other when he had babysat her. Unfortunately, ever since Griffon had accidentally run into nee-chan while she had been in a state of undress at their house, he wasn't welcome there any longer. It certainly didn't help that tou-san had also been home at the time and had developed a distinct dislike of Griffon. What terrible timing for everyone.

"Maybe next time," V said.

Abruptly, Kei-chan stopped walking. "What is it?" V prompted.

"Have to pee."

"Ah." V led her to a restroom. Sending her off and taking the plastic bag from her, V leaned his back near the entrance to a gift shop and read his book while waiting for Kei-chan to relieve herself.

"O Rose thou art sick," he read quietly. "The invisible worm, that flies in the night in the howling storm."

"Has found out thy bed," said another voice.

In an instant, V discarde his relaxed posture and raised his cane to defend against any sudden attacks. He looked at his surroundings. He could neither spot anything suspicious in the ambling human crowd nor sense the lingering presence of the voice aside from the sound. The rogue demons were getting more and more apt at shrouding themselves from V's senses. Where was the sound coming from?

"Of crimson joy," V continued the line, and the voice acted in turn.

"And his dark secret love." Still no sign of who was speaking, yet it sounded as if he was right beside V.

"Does thy life destroy."

Then, a hand from nowhere grasped his shoulder, pulling him backwards.

Everything in sight suddenly became quite… surreal. The mundanity, the simple and uncomplicated structure of the mall – of the human world – became twisted, contorted, almost hellish. Bright, nearly blinding colors of orange and blue replaced the once bland lighting of the mall. The people became incomplete, shadowy silhouettes. The walls, floors, and ceilings cracked and broke apart, enlarging and shrinking, changing shape and orientation inconsistently.

Where there was once printed text and characters denoting store names and advertisements, all that was written in their place was one word: power.

V's back hit the floor. Directly above him came down – the Yamato sword?!

Before he could be skewered, V tricked up over his assailant. As he fell from the air, V swung his cane down to crack the skull of his attacker. However, the Yamato look-alike was brought up to deflect V's cane. If the blade's appearance wasn't enough of a resemblance, then the follow-up swing that V blocked and sent him flying off through the shadow people was another. That was the Upper Slash maneuver.

If that truly was the Yamato, or at least a replica of it, then with the distance gained between V and the sword's wielder, V's opponent may move forward with a Rapid Slash or a Judgement Cut.

By the sound of a dozen cuts about to be made all around V, the latter option was chosen.

Avoiding those cuts with a side roll, V tricked directly in front of his attacker. Stepping into a Stinger with his cane, V hit his opponent squarely in the chest before he could dodge or defend. The sword wielder's back hit the wall. As he tried to catch his breath, he kept his blade raised to dissuade V from getting any closer.

Finally, V got a clear look at the demon that brought him into this hellish mirror world, and "mirror world" seemed to be an appropriate name the more V looked at it. "Who are you?" V asked.

With sharp teeth displayed broadly, the demon in human form answered, "My name is Vergil."

He wore a black coat and blue slacks, leather black shoes and blue gloves. His hair was swept back and bleached. There was... some resemblance to how Vergil had appeared after V had rejoined Urizen, if Griffon's recollections and sloppy sketches were accurate.

"What manner of facsimile are you?" V questioned. Not a shadowy Doppelganger that had served as one of the Temen-ni-gru's guardians, nor a mimicking Plasma that had been loitering on Mallet Island. This demon, emulating Vergil's stance and swordsmanship was… something else.

"Facsimile?" the copy barked an all too familiar laugh of superiority, though the voice was also slightly different. Why adopt so many of Vergil's characteristics yet fail in some of the most basic details? "Look who's talking. The poor remnants of a half-demon spawn playing at being human, with a family that's not even his own. What kind of son of Sparda do you claim to be?"

"I don't claim to be." Not anymore, anyway. Not with how he is now. "Yet, you do?"

"Of course. I am their heir, heir to the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda and the Great Angelic Champion Eva."

Angelic Champion Eva? V raised an eyebrow at that. What was he talking about?

"Eva was a fool," the facsimile went on, keeping his false Yamato pointed at V as he began pacing, "but I've rejected her falsehoods, done away with Kat, and defeated Dante. I have embraced only the power Eva's and father's blood and artifacts have bestowed upon me. I am a true son of Sparda, with the strength of both heaven and hell to assert my rule."

Mad ramblings. Who was this Kat? And if this fake claims to have beaten Dante, "Then you truly suppose yourself to be Vergil."

"The only one that matters," came the smug reply. "A true devil."

How presumptuous of him. "A parasitic imitation would be a more accurate descriptor. Hollow Vergil, a more apt name."

"I care little for what a broken half-breed calls me."

V smirked. If the imperfect copy really believed himself to be Vergil, then there must be some particular sore spots V could press. "I think from Vergil's experience, he should know better than to underestimate the power of a half-breed. Considering his own heritage and history."

"I have surpassed the limitations of my own blood."

"And time and time again, despite achieving the occasional victories and stalemates, Dante has surpassed Vergil many times over."

Hollow Vergil sneered, taking a step forward. V's smirk only widened at the demon's transparent display of intimidation, used to mask the indignation. "I killed him," the copy growled. "Dante was powerless against me. Barely even a noteworthy battle, with him running away and foolishly taunting all the while."

Odd to describe Dante that way. He never ran away from a fight. "And in Vergil's hubris, even with the power of the Qliphoth, he could not defeat Nero." Although, to be fair, Vergil hadn't been at his full strength at the time, having fought Dante moments before Nero's arrival.

Hollow Vergil now conveyed bemusement, looking lost. "What? Qliphoth? Who is Nero?"

Truly some sad, incomplete impersonation of Vergil. And now that V had a longer, better look at it, even the Yamato was of a different size and color than the actual one. Another anomaly, another inconsistency not quite faithful to aspects of the old world that was inserted into this new one which V and so many others now live in. Another new development to take note of.

But, if lacking in knowledge, perhaps this Hollow Vergil makes up for it with ability and skill in combat worthy of wielding a version of the Yamato. V will have to be wary of that as he seeks to defeat or escape this demon.

Perhaps escape was the better option. V wasn't at full strength – well, at the full strength Taishi's body infused with demonic power was capable of. With his allies preoccupied today, he should focus on getting Kei-chan and their belongings safe and sound at home.

"Never mind," Hollow Vergil said, shrugging off his confusion and glaring more intensely at V. "It doesn't matter. What use do I need of this Qliphoth when I have enough power to create all of this?!" He waved at the distorted environment around them. "My own localized Limbo. It took a great many demons to slay, so much blood to consume in order to attain this ability, but that's nothing new. The power I have is…"

This bizarre environment was a construct of his? How informative…

After further pontificating, the demon pointed to V's Proud Soul. "… as it may, I need more power. Your amulet. Give it to me."

If the Proud Soul was his target, why not take it when V was disoriented and first brought into this Limbo world? Hollow Vergil, like most demons, must be craving a fight before claiming his prize. In any case, V said, "If you want it, then you're going to have to take it." V tucked the amulet under his shirt. "But you already knew that."

Saying the same old lines, replaying the same old tricks… Time for some variety.

V discreetly tied his plastic bag to make sure none of its contents would fall out in the ensuing encounter. Then he tossed the bag up into the air. While Hollow Vergil's eyes were focused on the bag, V stuck his cane into the dirt of a nearby potted plant that had surprisingly retained most of its shape in this Limbo. V dragged the pot across the floor before flinging it toward Hollow Vergil. Of course, Vergil sliced the plant in half, but in that moment, V had already tricked up to the second floor of the mall above them. After catching his bag, V crouched in front of the glass fencing and waited.

From below, Hollow Vergil rose, his Yamato slicing through the glass but fortunately missing V. As broken glass flew pass V and Hollow Vergil continued to soar, the copy changed directions and began descending into a Helm Breaker.

V tricked in place at the last second before the false Yamato would have split him in half. When V reappeared, he entrapped Hollow Vergil in a restricting hold from behind. Hollow Vergil twisted his hold on his Yamato into a reverse grip and attempted to pierce V's side. V tried using his can to block the stab, but Hollow Vergil succeed in drawing blood. V grit his teeth as he received the hit, going through his abdomen and just nearly brushing against his spine.

The residual demon power V had stored in his body should be enough to heal this wound, and as V launched himself and Hollow Vergil off the second floor into a suplex – a maneuver mostly inspired by some of Nero's combat moves – V hoped he wouldn't have to exert a tremendous amount of more power today.

It wasn't a particularly long drop, but it was enough for Hollow Vergil to give out a ghastly cry in agony when his head smashed against the floor. The second he did, V could see the world of Limbo begin to blink and shutter erratically, revealing the people and scenery of the real world for seconds at a time. V had guessed correctly then, that disrupting Hollow Vergil's concentration enough would break whatever spell or ability he set forth to capture V in Limbo.

Hollow Vergil began moving his sword while it was still in V's body. Wincing, V shoved Hollow Vergil's arm to get the Yamato out and kicked him into the mob of silhouettes. The copy tumbled around some humans each time the real world overrode Limbo every previous few seconds. Wailing the Yamato around so carelessly as he did also nicked a few of those humans as barreled through them. Meanwhile, V used his cane to steady himself and bring him up to his feet, breathing slowly as he let his wounds mend themselves.

Limbo continued to shimmer and waver even as Hollow Vergil recovered, the false Son of Sparda stabbing the Yamato into the floor to cease his unsightly swaying along the ground. He left a trail of blood with more running down his face and his clothes. Opening his scrunched-up eyes revealed devilish crimson. Not glowing as if entering a rudimentary Devil Trigger. Likely a natural biological reaction, the demon's instinctive response to having such trouble with a supposed half-breed. Like a feral animal barring his teeth.

V met the aggression with a simple taunt. "What an eye-sore," he commented.

Hollow Vergil then disappeared from sight. V was startled before quickly realizing that he teleported, leaving behind fading blue slivers of light as he did so. But where did he go?

Behind him, of course. In V's brief instance of hesitation, the Yamato was thrust through his back and out his stomach.

"Now I'm a little motivated," Hollow Vergil muttered in V's ear.

Coughing, struggling to stand, struggling to stay focused, V willed what demon power he could consciously manipulate, shifting what he could spare from healing the ruptured skin and organs to pouring the power into his hands. Letting the plastic bag of today's shopping trip hang from his wrist, V held the Yamato by the part of the blade protruding from his stomach. V pulled, getting Hollow Vergil off-balance slightly and forcing him to step forward, allowing V to thrust and stab the end of his cane into Hollow Vergil's throat. V could feel the blood splatter hit his hair and the back of his neck.

There the two of them were, two broken mirrors of Vergil each trying to kill the other, locked in a stalemate as they each drained the blood and strength of one another.

V only hoped he outlasted his opponent.

Limbo was fading away faster now. Hollow Vergil must be diverting his own power into repairing himself and keeping himself conscious instead of maintaining Limbo, if not just losing power entirely. However, because they would soon return to the real world, V and Hollow Vergil began walking backwards, into the side corridor where the restrooms lay at the end of. At least the facsimile was smart enough to know that achieving victory today would mean nothing if it meant exposing their bloody, mangled forms to the world.

Still, it was a struggle to move backwards with V burdened with a blade shoved through himself and holding his cane through Hollow Vergil's neck. V was surprised they didn't accidentially fall over on their way down the hall.

Wanting to turn the situation toward his own favor, V suddenly sped up his walking speed, knocking Hollow Vergil's back against a wall. V also rocked his head backwards to hit Hollow Vergil's jaw. Bending his knees, V planted his feet on Hollow Vergil's hind legs and pushed, forcing himself out of the Yamato and taking his cane out of the copy along the way.

Falling forward, V kneeled down and pressed his forehead on the ground. He gulped what air he could as his injuries healed. He watched the uneven, colorful flooring flatten and shift to bland white. He was back in the real world. Sucking in a deep breath, V spun around and swung his cane.

Hollow Vergil blocked the cane with his knuckles as he rushed into V. With a shrill, inhuman roar, the demon pinned him against a vending machine. V felt the sharp edge of a blade press against his cheek.

The blade… wasn't the Yamato. It wasn't even a katana. It had the appearance of a common machete, but V could feel the dark energy emitting from the edge of the metal.

Further, in a hooded jacket and a black face mask, with a knife held against a teenage boy holding a cane, Hollow Vergil's purely human appearance looked like a stereotypical mugger. Absolutely no resemblance to the real Vergil now, especially with that crazed look in his eyes. He must need Limbo in order to maintain his son of Sparda façade.

"I don't have one," said the copy, sounding unhinged. He wrapped his hands around V's Proud Soul. "I want yours."

V was calculating his next move – maybe twirl his cane to get the knife out of V's face before any cuts could be made – when Hollow Vergil was pulled off him. In a flurry of movement V was only able to keep up with because of his enhanced demonic senses dulling his aches and pains, Hollow Vergil was disarmed – the knife sliding to V's feet – and held against the floor with his arms bound behind him.

"Such insolence!" Hollow Vergil barked, continuing to struggle against his restraints. The fight in Limbo must have taken more out of him than he or V had thought. "Who dares?"

"I dare," retorted Hiratsuka-sensei, twisting Hollow Vergil's arms in a way that caused him to yelp and grow. "Now stay down, or I might accidentally break something."

V hadn't at all been expecting to see Hiratsuka-sensei of all people come in for an assist against a demonic threat.

"Is that a mugger?" Kei-chan, stepping out of the nearby restroom, asked. Upon seeing her, V stepped on the knife and pushed it under the vending machine, out of reach from anyone. Then he walked to her and kept her behind him. "Did you beat him up, Tai-kun?"

"Stay over there, you two," Hiratsuka-sensei said. She locked eyes with V. "Taishi. Why am I not surprised? Don't tell me Ooka's hiding around the corner somewhere."

"You think that lowly of us?" V couldn't help but snark.

"Only because you give me so many reasons to. Now go get a security –"

Hollow Vergil pushed back against Hiratsuka-sensei, bringing them both to their feet as they barreled against a trash can, littering the hall with junk and rubbish. The demon thrust his head back to hit Hiratsuka-sensei's chin. She lost her grip on him. Now freed, Hollow Vergil turned around and began trading kicks and punches with her.

Hiratsuka-sensei wasn't going to win this fight alone. She was a trained fighter, to be sure, but neither an expert in her field nor in the art of slaying demons, and at his core, despite his current form, Hollow Vergil was still a devil at heart.

"Hold this," V said to Kei-chan as he handed her their bag. "And go call for help." As Hollow Vergil hit Hiratsuka-sensei with a combination of punches that left her stunned with each impact, V struck with a Stinger on the copy's back before following up with a Trillion Stabs. Not actually a trillion stabs, of course, but enough to get Hollow Vergil to stagger and flinch with each blow. Hollow Vergil turned around and swept his leg at V with a roundhouse kick.

V caught the leg in his arms, but there was more force to it than he expected. He had wanted to try breaking or dislocating the leg. Instead, V was pushed against the marble flooring. At least Hollow Vergil also fell down. When Hollow Vergil began kicking at V with his free leg, Hiratsuka-sensei came in grab it. Unfortunately, Hollow Vergil merely kicked her out of the way. Then he kicked V in the forehead with enough force to cause V to relinquish his hold.

Hollow Vergil dashed to the vending machine, pushing it over to fall onto its side. He reached down to grab his mysterious machete, but V made haste to shoulder tackle him against the wall. Taking the knife for himself, V plunged it into one of the demon's vertebrae. V was gifted with the sound of a painful, soaring howl Hollow Vergil gave in response to the attack.

Kicking off the wall, Hollow Vergil forced V to land onto his back. Hollow Vergil rolled over V's head and stole the knife, holding it in his grasp once more. He clutched it with both hands, raising it high above his head with the sharp edge poised to cut across or pierce through V's face.

Hiratsuka-sensei grabbed Hollow Vergil's wrists. She struggled to steal the knife from him, ultimately failing as he elbowed her side. When Hiratsuka-sensei closed her eyes and reeled back from the hit, Hollow Vergil tricked behind her. He attempted another stab, now against sensei. V reached out with his cane, deflecting the machete.

By now, V spotted the mall's security guards running down the corridor. Kei-chan stood back with one guard while the rest tackled and piled over Hollow Vergil.

"No!" Hollow Vergil screeched, flailing his blade about. Though injuring his attackers, he was quickly being overwhelmed. "Ridiculous! Begone, you scum!"

One of the guards sucker punched Hollow Vergil. The assault only continued. After the various attacks, murders, and miseries wrought to the citizens, police officers, and security forces throughout Chiba in recent times, it was only naturally for these guards to act swiftly and with little mercy.

It seemed that Hollow Vergil still had enough demon power to make a hasty retreat, however. In one moment, he was being buried under kicks and limbs. The next, he tricked to be standing outside the mob of guards. He shoved his way back into the mall and dove into the crowd. Thankfully, Kei-chan was unscathed during his escape, with the one security guard keeping her out of harm's way.

The rest of the guards gave chase for Hollow Vergil. Seeing that his sister was safe, V turned his attention to Hiratsuka-sensei. She was leaning against the fallen vending machine, nursing her injured side.

"Do you need medical attention, Hiratsuka-sensei?" V asked. While supporting himself was his cane, he grabbed sensei's arm in an attempt to support her, as well.

"I should be asking you that." She accepted V's help, though was standing tall on her own before long. "Now, tell me the truth, Taishi. Was this a random mugging, or did you somehow catch the attention of another oreganized delinquent gang terrorizing Chiba?"

V considered the question. "I doubt you'd find either answer a pleasant one," he remarked.

"True enough."

Kei-chan approached, congratulating V and Hiratsuka-sensei on "beating the bad guy". The guard accompanying her bore a pensive look on his face.

V sighed. The questions-and-answer sessions with the various authorities in this world was growing more and more repetitive and bothersome, but V resigned himself to his fate.

X

Once mall security and the police received all the information they wanted, they allowed V, Kei-chan, and Hiratsuka-sensei to go on their way. They hadn't needed to stay long, which was appreciated. V would have been required to stay longer for the injuries he exchanged with Hollow Vergil, but luckily, his wounds and bloodstains were taken care of with the last of V's power, and Hollow Vergil's bloody injuries seen on him as he fled were credited to have been caused by the other guards.

Hiratsuka-sensei had apparently been in the middle of her own shopping for a family gathering. It was by chance that she encountered Kei-chan in the restroom, and it was sensei's good nature that led her to confront Hollow Vergil while he was attacking V. She was also kind enough to offer to drive the V and Kei-chan home. With daylight to be gone soon with each passing minute, V graciously accepted.

"Remember that Kei-chan is still quite young and impressionable, V said to sensei as Kei-chan crawled into the backseat. V also gave her his phone and earphones to entertain her during the drive. "I'd rather you not smoke with her present."

Hiratsuka-sensei rolled her eyes as she entered the driver's seat. V made himself comfortable in the passenger seat beside her. "And what reasons do I give you that make you think so lowly of me?"

"You do casually smoke at an educational institution for minors."

Clicking her tongue as Hiratsuka-sensei drove, she said, "What, hasn't Ooka 'accidentally eavesdropped' the news? I quit smoking a couple weeks ago."

Did she, now? "You know, it really is by unintentional happenstance that Ooka overhears you speaking whenever you're most talkative." And it really was. His time was better spent stalking and spying on other people of interest. "Or that you often encounter him doing supposedly 'inappropriate' and 'delinquent' behavior."

"There's a saying with that word, happenstance. I'm sure you know it. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence –"

"Three times is conspiracy," V finished. It was one variation of the phrase. Honestly, out of all the manipulations and manufactured stories and situations V and his allies had to bring about to maintain their covers and to accomplish their missions, the tension between Ooka and Hiratsuka-sensei certainly wasn't by design. "You can't believe–"

"I believe this much," Hiratsuka-sensei interrupted. "Maybe there is no conspiracy. Maybe you don't seek out involving yourself in fights like these. Maybe you're just really unlucky, which wouldn't be your fault at all. Whatever it is, we both know that these fights keep happening, and I don't think you mind it all that much."

V shut his mouth. He glanced at Kei-chan, making sure she was blissfully unaware to this conversation. Seeing her enraptured by whatever game she was playing and rendered deaf with her earphones, V turned back to Hiratsuka-sensei.

"Excuse me?" V asked.

"How long were you fighting that mugger before I stepped in?"

"Long enough to defend myself until security was called in. We went over this with the authorities when we were questioned."

"I know. Security was only called until after I tried helping you and after Keika got near the fight. Why didn't you try calling for help while you were still fighting with him in the restroom?"

Well, it was physically impossible for him to do so. Not while he was in Limbo. "He had a knife on me," V said in Taishi's petulant, defensive voice. Sensei was quite familiar with Taishi's composed side and his more rebellious side by now. "What did you expect me to do?"

Traffic forced Hiratsuka-sensei to bring the car to a stop. Her eyes met V's. "I'd expect for you to have fought back on your own, not trying to get help, until it was you that knocked the mugger unconscious, even at the risk of getting yourself seriously hurt."

V sighed. Despite his and his companions' best efforts, sensei's suspicions on her dear students still did not waver. "Is it so wrong to try to mitigate the threat and damage of a criminal whenever I'm attacked? I don't seek out these fights." Half the time, at least. "Call me a delinquent if you want, but I always do what anyone else would have done. I don't see what's wrong."

Hiratsuka-sensei expressed her own sigh. "A little self-awareness would help."

V was perfectly aware of his situation. Let her think Taishi only had self-made delusions. It made predicting her actions in regard to Taishi easier to deduce. "Care to enlighten me?"

Traffic picked up. Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes returned to the road, but half her attention was still on V. "Getting robbed and assaulted isn't supposed to be a regular thing to happen for you, Taishi-kun," Hiratsuka-sensei said with a grave seriousness. "Or anyone."

"Hikigaya and Ooka would object on the assault front, concerning your typical treatment of them," V mentioned offhandedly.

Hiratsuka-sensei formed a fist, but she only rigidly shook it, clearly resisting to use it against V. "I'm being serious. You've been through a lot since the school year started. I understand that, but that doesn't mean you have to accept what you've gone through as simple everyday routine. Your little sister–"

"Is safe and well," V cut in. "Because I – we, protected her."

"But letting yourself get wrapped into more fights won't make the next one any less dangerous. It's not just about you, either. Ooka and your other friends might not care as much, but what about your families? What would your parents and sisters feel if something happened because of your recklessness?"

"I already know what they would feel," V said. He knew ever since that day he woke up in the hospital and was welcomed by Taishi's family. "That's why I fight as I do, to make sure they never feel that way again, and so that I won't ever be like that again."

"Taishi, unless you're a boxer. It's not normal to get into fights all the time."

For better or worse, it perfectly was normal for V.

He doubted his life was ever going to completely fit Hiratsuka-sensei's definition of normal; a full human's idea of normal. However, that didn't mean he couldn't experience aspects of such normalcy, like his outing with Kei-chan today, and what their plans for nee-chan were once they returned home. If V had to regularly deal with demon attacks and to stomp down on devilish nightmares, then he was perfectly happy to oblige. He had the power, and the means to gain more when necessary. Might as well use it.

Did it even really matter in the end? At the end, V was going to find whoever had implanted him and the others into their new lives in this world, and then he was going home.

V loved his family, only because they were Taishi's family. V will continue to abide by that love so long as he was Taishi, but that didn't mean he could forget about… Dante… or Nero… or Vergil, for that matter.

… Speaking of, that Hollow Vergil was another lead V had to follow up on...

"... about your future," Hiratsuka-sensei went on. V had stopped listening to most of the lecture. "Understand?"

V understood her basic message and intentions. He had no plans to drastically change his routines or activities to appease them. "Would you believe me if I said yes?" She might not. V liked to believe that he's gotten better at lying while in Taishi's body, but Hiratsuka-sensei, like a few other observant individuals V has become acquainted with, has gotten better at telling when he was being purposely underhanded and manipulative.

"You're pretty good at keeping your cool," Hiratsuka-sensei said. V took it as a compliment. "Would you believe yourself if you asked yourself that question?"

"I know who I am, sensei," V said. The car soon stopped on his street. The Kawasaki house was in sight now. "Better than anyone."

Certainly better than that hollow parasite poorly masquerading as Vergil, let alone a common if sympathetic and benevolent high school teacher.

"Thank you for the ride," V said as he swiftly exited the car before Hiratsuka-sensei could concisely continue her lecture. He jostled Kei-chan's shoulder to get her to follow. She nodded, putting the phone and earbuds away. As she plopped out of the car, she looked up to Hiratsuka-sensei. Sensei was staring at V, clearly still apprehensive about him, but she put on a smile for Kei-chan.

"Thank you for driving us, Sensei-chan!" Kei-chan said with a quick bow. "And for beating the bad guy!"

"No problem," sensei said back, giving her a grin. "You're welcome. You make sure not to give your older siblings too much trouble, Keika, and to stay safe."

"... Are you pregnant?" Kei-chan asked innocently. Hiratsuka-sensei became as still as a statue. As did V, admittedly. Where did that question come from?

"Why do ask, Kei-chan?" V asked her.

"Sensei-chan is glowing like Ren-chan!"

Ah. Ren-chan was a friend of tou-san and one of Kei-chan's caretakers at the daycare.

Now that V stopped and looked at Hiratsuka-sensei a little more closely… he was vaguely reminded of how kaa-san had looked back when she was pregnant with Taishi's younger siblings. Taishi did recall a glow to kaa-san back then.

"Are you going to be raising a baby?

Hiratsuka-sensei laughed and reached down from the car window to pinch Kei-chan's cheeks, much to the little one's vocal displeasure. "Now, now, Kei-chan. I have my hands full taking care of your big bro and big sis, and their friends and classmates, too. I'm looking after enough babies as it is."

But if she was to have a child, considering who the father would be...

Another matter to look into later.

"And Taishi," sensei spoke to him in a falsely chipper tone. "I trust that you know not to feed more into the silly rumors around Soubu. Right?"

"At your pleasure," V said with smile. He grabbed Kei-chan's hand and gently pulled her along. "Farewell."

"Bye, Sensei-chan!" Kei-chan called out, waving her hand.

V looked over his shoulder. Hiratsuka-sensei waved back, looking quite unsure of herself, before driving off.

"So she wasn't pregnant?" Kei-chan asked V.

"Forget about that," V dismissed. He unlocked the front door. Entering inside, he and Kei-chan removed their shoes. Seeing what other shoes were sequestered to the side, it seemed that their parents weren't home yet, but someone else was. V patted Kei-chan's back. "Go find nee-chan."

Wearing a wide smile, Kei-chan held the plastic bag close to her chest and ran throughout the house, calling out nee-chan's name. V took his time following after her.

"Kei-chan?" he heard nee-chan call out before their little sister gave her an exuberant greeting.

"Happy birthday, Saa-chan!"

**X**

**To be continued in Special 02 at some point. Chapter 10 is next to be posted, whenever that gets done.**


End file.
